More than half of young people turning down work opportunities due to costs, study reveals
The children's charity Barnardos has criticised the financial support available to young people starting their careers, describing it as “fragmented”.
More than half of young people have turned down or left a job, apprenticeship or work experience opportunity because they were unable to afford costs such as travel, childcare or clothing, new research suggests.
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According to children's charity Barnardo’s, its survey found young people are being pushed out of jobs, education and training opportunities because of financial barriers.
The charity's survey of 4,000 16 to 25-year-olds in England found 56% had turned down, not submitted an application for or left a job, apprenticeship, course, work experience placement or other opportunity because of the associated costs.
More than a quarter (28%) of those affected said this had happened to them on more than one occasion.
The study comes after Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said last month that young people should not be blamed for the challenges they face when searching for a job.
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Reacting to the findings, Barnardo’s criticised the financial assistance available to young people starting their careers, describing it as “fragmented, insufficient and narrowly targeted".
The chief executive of Barnardo’s, Lynn Perry, said: “Young people want to work. They want the independence, security and opportunities that work can bring, but our research shows that for too many, the cost of accessing an opportunity is becoming a barrier to the opportunity itself.
“Things like bus fares and smart clothes might seem like minor expenses, but for a young person with little or no income, they can be the difference between taking up an opportunity and having to walk away from it.
“Behind these figures are young people with talent, ambition and potential. We need a system that removes practical barriers, rather than allowing them to shut young people out.”
Rachel Millward, Green Party deputy leader, said: “This report makes clear the huge extent to which people struggling to make ends meet face additional barriers when it comes to getting jobs and employment.
“This will only get worse if we don’t start to address the rising levels of extreme inequality that we see in the UK.
“And we can only do that with a radical new approach to the economy starting with wealth taxes and rent controls.”
The latest data, published in May, revealed that the number of young people aged 16 to 24 who were neither working nor learning exceeded one million for the first time since 2013.
The number of young people neither in employment nor education in the UK reached 1.01 million in the three months from January to March.