Latest news with #NEETs
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The 'important and urgent' issue of getting our young people into work
ONE of the challenges we face as a region is the growing number of young people not in work, education or training (so called NEETs) in the north east and Cumbria. It's an important and urgent issue, and one I discussed on a recent visit to Carlisle Jobcentre Plus. Unlocking the talent of our young people is key to our country's future. As part of its Get Britain Working plan, the biggest reform to employment support in a generation, the Government has raised the National Living Wage, improved working conditions through landmark employment legislation and begun to create jobs in high potential areas, such as clean energy industries, advanced manufacturing and defence. A central element of this plan is the new 'Youth Guarantee', which will support thousands of 18 to 21-year-olds into education, employment or training. Teesside, over in the north east, is one of eight trailblazer areas for the Youth Guarantee Scheme. This means it is a pilot for new approaches which, if successful, will be rolled out across the country. But that doesn't mean there's a lack of support for young people here in Carlisle and north Cumbria. Far from it. For example, the government is providing support to employers to take on young apprentices, including funding training costs for small businesses for apprentices aged 16-18, and removing National Insurance contributions for employers of apprentices under 25. A reformed Skills Levy will help ensure that a more skilled and adaptable workforce goes hand-in-hand with greater opportunity. On my recent visit to Carlisle Jobcentre Plus I saw for myself the tailored support available to 16–24 year-olds in their Youth Hub. Through partnerships with organisations like the Cumbria Youth Alliance, it provides access to careers advice, employability coaching, and connections to local services. Help is on hand for essential skills such as CV writing, interview preparation and job searches, as well as access to training opportunities. But if these efforts are going to be successful, we need young people to meet us halfway. If someone on benefits refuses to take up the support offered by a work coach without good reason, there will be benefits sanctions. This isn't about creating a blame culture; it's about fairness. Those who can work should work, so we are able to support those who genuinely can't. By working together, the government, employers, and young people can build an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive, whether they live in the north east, Cumbria, or beyond.
![[Editorial] No work, no future](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fkoreaherald.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Korea Herald
27-05-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] No work, no future
Rise in NEETs illustrates deepening shortage of decent jobs for young workers It is one of South Korea's most confounding contradictions: a nation bracing for demographic collapse, yet failing to provide its young people with the jobs they need to build lives, families and futures. With the presidential election just days away, on June 3, the major candidates remain preoccupied with political brinkmanship — dredging up old scandals and lobbing accusations over peripheral controversies — rather than addressing what may be the country's most urgent crisis: the hollowing out of its labor market. The population is aging. The birth rate remains among the world's lowest. And a growing number of young Koreans, disillusioned by what they see, are opting out altogether. According to a report from the Korea Employment Information Service, 18.3 percent of Koreans aged 15 to 29 were classified as "NEET" — not in education, employment or training — as of 2022. That ranks third among 11 major member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, far exceeding the OECD average of 12.6 percent. Even more troubling is the trend. While peer nations have succeeded in shrinking their NEET populations since 2014, South Korea's has continued to rise. This is a symptom of deeper structural malaise, signaling a breakdown in the country's ability to generate meaningful employment for its young workers. At the heart of the issue is a persistent mismatch between expectations and opportunity. South Korea produces a highly educated labor force, but the domestic market has failed to generate enough jobs meeting their skills or ambitions. Positions at top-tier conglomerates remain scarce and fiercely competitive. In their absence, many young Koreans see little point in settling for low-paying roles at small or midsize firms, or for insecure temporary jobs. Faced with that choice, nearly 60 percent of NEETs report a lack of motivation to keep searching. The message they receive from the job market is clear: There is no place for them. One consequence is a rise in those who say they are 'just resting.' These are potential workers who have been sidelined, often involuntarily. By the third quarter of last year, more than 420,000 Koreans aged 25 to 34 were classified in this category, marking a 25 percent increase from the year before, according to the Bank of Korea. The risks are long-term: Prolonged detachment from the workforce can calcify into chronic unemployment or permanent withdrawal, eroding not only individual prospects but the country's economic potential. The deeper concern is the shortage of what are perceived as 'decent jobs' — those that are stable, well-compensated and offer a path to advancement. In the pursuit of lower costs, many large firms have offshored production. At home, economic uncertainty has dampened the mood for new investment. Hiring practices, meanwhile, remain risk-averse and inflexible. Employers often prefer experienced candidates over recent graduates. Employment protections, intended to foster security, have instead discouraged the creation of new permanent roles. So far, the presidential hopefuls have failed to meaningfully confront these challenges. Their platforms gesture toward job creation, but often in vague or populist terms. Proposals for stipends or slogans offer little in the way of structural reform. Artificial intelligence is frequently invoked as a growth engine — yet seldom acknowledged as a disruptive force that, according to a joint report by the Bank of Korea and the International Monetary Fund, could make 27 percent of existing jobs obsolete. It is not enough to champion AI investment without a plan to support those it displaces. Whoever wins next week must come to terms with this reality: South Korea's long-term economic vitality depends on building a labor market that works for its youth. Creating jobs — real, desirable, future-oriented ones — cannot be an afterthought. It must be at the heart of any economic strategy. For without opportunity, there will be no incentive to marry, to raise children, or even to stay. And without its youth, South Korea will have no future.
Scoop
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Unemployment Numbers Still Reflect Ongoing Financial Pressures Faced By Businesses
Press Release – EMA Unemployment is usually a lag indicator of the economic bad news and, while its too early to say the bad news has stopped, its encouraging that the number was stable rather than increasing, as had been widely expected. The EMA says today's unchanged unemployment rate hopefully underlines the bottoming out of the economic bad news, although member businesses are facing ongoing financial pressures. The latest numbers released by Stats NZ show that the unemployment rate has stayed unchanged at 5.1% for the March quarter. EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald says 'While it's positive that the unemployment rate has not increased, we're still seeing pressures on employers, with calls into our AdviceLine service on redundancies and restructures remaining at very high levels. However, last month they did drop off so we're hoping, like the unemployment number, they may have reached their peak. Those processes usually take another two to three months to work through the system.' 'Unemployment is usually a lag indicator of the economic bad news and, while it's too early to say the bad news has stopped, it's encouraging that the number was stable rather than increasing, as had been widely expected. 'The other concern is that we are still seeing a high number of NEETs, that is young people not in employment, education or training. This indicates that employers are overlooking that category in favour of people who already have some work experience, which is another symptom of current labour market conditions. 'In addition, while the high minimum wage doesn't necessarily stop employers from hiring people, it does change the type of skill set and experience that they are likely to value in potential employees,' he says.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Whole generation is at risk' - Cumbria Chamber backs calls to fix Gen Z jobs crisis
Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has responded to the release of a report warning of a "lost generation" unless the government takes urgent action to tackle the employment crisis affecting young people. The new report, published by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), has called for action to remove barriers preventing almost a million people in Generation Z from engaging with work, education, and contributing to society. The BCC is urging ministers to invest in support to help young people into work, support SMEs to take on and train young people, increase workplace health support for businesses, and set a target to reduce the proportion of young people not in employment, education, or training (NEETs) to that of the Netherlands. The report, produced by the BCC's People and Work Challenge Group, says that tackling the NEET challenge could add £69bn to UK output. It also calls for the Government to align its response to the issue across all departments, saying that the problem is likely to worsen in the short term. According to the report, only 13 per cent of businesses currently have specific recruitment, training, or retention plans for under 25s. The BCC believes SMEs, in particular, are missing out on the benefits of a "targeted approach" to youth employment. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of NEETs has risen by more than 110,000 between the end of 2023 and 2024. In October to December 2024, there were 987,000 NEETs, including 392,000 unemployed and 595,000 economically inactive. Suzanne Caldwell, managing director of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce and lead for Cumbria's Local Skills Improvement Plan, said: "The situation here in Cumbria is significantly less bad than the national picture. "There were 306 young people classed as NEET in February 2025, which is 22 fewer than in January. She added: "But those Cumbria figures do hide pockets of particular challenge and we're failing our young people if we don't address them. Ms Caldwell concluded: "Unless more comprehensive action is taken a whole generation is at risk of being cut loose from society."
Telegraph
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
The whole nation suffers when young people abandon the jobs market
SIR – I agree with Matthew Lynn's assessment of the importance of ensuring that work pays (Business Comment, April 26). He points out that the benefits and the taxation systems encourage anti-work mindsets across the income scale. As a result the usual social and ethical attitudes to work are undermined to an extent which the country inevitably struggles to afford. While the pandemic has made it worse, the problem of what to do about those not in education, employment or training (NEETs) has been a concern for decades. Local and national governments have struggled to analyse, understand and address the causes and effects. Meanwhile, the wellbeing of young people and that of our national economy decline in tandem. Geoff Holmes Hexham, Northumberland SIR – The report (April 25) that young people will not work for less than £40,000 is deeply worrying. This inactivity in itself will lead to ill health in mid-life. Anyone who can physically work should not be paid benefits to lounge at home. Barbara Marshall Helmdon, Northamptonshire SIR – Matthew Lynn seems to be on the side of 16- to 24-year-olds who are reluctant to leave their homes – or even beds – for less than £40,000. After what a colleague once called 'the most expensive education that money can buy' and three years at a blue-chip university, I found myself depressed, also in my bed most of the day and funding a serious alcohol habit. A kindly clerk at Hanwell Department of Health and Social Security suggested I might be interested in a job involving cooking, cleaning and emptying the occasional commode for the housebound elderly. I wasn't, but ended up doing it for more than two years before moving into a 40-year career in community mental health, an area which desperately needs bright, creative young staff. The prospects and pay may be poor, but the rewards are immense. Jeremy Walker London WC1 SIR – I take issue with Stuart Harrington (Letters, April 26) on today's youth. This is a generation who were banned from school and forced to wear masks when they did go, in erroneous measures to protect them from a disease that mostly affected the elderly. They now cannot find worthwhile employment and, even when they do, are deprived of the camaraderie and help offered by team work, instead working from home at least some of the time. They have little chance of owning a home, or even renting one. They have been terrified into believing that the world is burning up. They can see baby boomers enjoying a standard of life they can only dream of. Let's all be a little kinder and show some understanding.
