Press Story

Reacting to today's labour market statistics showing a fall in overall unemployment but an increase in youth unemployment, the think tank IPPR says: "while on the whole the labour market continues to show signs of a welcome recovery with unemployment falling by 0.1 per cent to 7.7 per cent, worryingly the unemployment rate amongst young people continues to increase. Of particular concern is that one in three of young people aged 18 to 24 who are unemployed have been out of work for more than a year."

Tony Dolphin, Senior Economist at IPPR said:

"Today's employment statistics show further welcome signs of an improvement in the labour market, with employment increasing and unemployment falling for most groups within the labour force. There are, though, still signs of hidden unemployment, with 1.45 million people saying they are working part-time because they cannot find a full-time post.

"One area of particular concern is the performance of young people in the labour market. Employment among 16-24 year-olds has dropped by 77,000 in the latest quarter and unemployment increased by 9,000 over the same period. The unemployment rate is 21.0% for 16-24 year-olds (19.4% for those not in full time education). One in three people aged 18 to 24 who are unemployed have been out of work for more than a year. These figures illustrate how the economic recovery and the improvement in the labour market are leaving young people behind.

"Getting the youth labour market working again requires a concerted effort from policymakers. New IPPR research shows that half of those young people not in work or full-time education have no experience of work. As a starting point, policymakers should consider implementing a jobs guarantee, which would provide much needed work experience and employability skills to the growing ranks of unemployed youth."

Notes to Editors:

For today's latest unemployment statistics, see: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/september-2013/index.html

IPPR's report - 'A job for everyone: What should full employment mean in 21st century Britain?' - is available here: http://bit.ly/IPPR11002

IPPR's report - 'Youth unemployment in Europe: what makes a labour market 'youth friendly'?' - is available here:http://www.ippr.org/articles/56/9419/youth-unemployment-in-europe-what-makes-a-labour-market-youth-friendly

IPPR's report - Jobs for the Future: The path back to full employment in the UK - is available here:http://www.ippr.org/publications/55/7938/jobs-for-the-future-the-path-back-to-full-employment-in-the-uk