UK youth unemployment falls below 1 million: What to know

New figures released today, showed that the number of young people in the UK who are not in work or education has reportedly fallen below 1 million.

The decline marks a significant variation in the number of young people currently outside employment and education. The figures hit their highest level since 2012 in the first three months of the year, according to official figures released on Thursday.

The proportion of 16–24-year-olds outside the job market has ascended to one of the highest in Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to recent analysis, employers are reluctant to recruit people despite official figures demonstrating annual economic growth last year, and company earnings remain resilient. Some experts have blamed the use of artificial intelligence in some industries to handle administrative duties for entry-level staff.

They have also underscored the rise in cases of mental illness among young people after educational disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the ongoing situation, the government has commissioned the former health minister Alan Milburn to focus on the act of teaching, training and employment services for young people.

The ONS further maintained that the annual increase of 30,000 was largely among young men with an increase of 25,000, as well as an increase among young women of 4,000 in the year.

Paul Nowak, TUC general secretary further clarified that it was a crisis that almost 1 million people were out of work.

“The evidence is crystal clear – good quality employment support, more good training places and a strong growing economy with more vacancies is what we need, he further stated.”