Generation sicknote: Young people more likely to be off work sick than people in their early 40s

26 February 2024, 00:21

Close up of a hand and pen at a Women's Centre therapy support group.
Close up of a hand and pen at a Women's Centre therapy support group. Picture: Alamy

By Chay Quinn

Young people were found to be more likely to be out of work due to ill-health than those in their early forties - after it was revealed 480,000 young Brits are unemployed.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The Resolution Foundation study, funded by the Health Foundation, found that younger people with mental health problems can have their chances at a good education blighted and can end up out of work or going into low-paid jobs.

The number of young people with poor mental health is rising, according to official data.

In 2021/22, 34% of young people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of mental disorder, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.

close up of young dark haired teenage man sitting with his head in his hands hiding his face staring at the floor
Young women are particularly affected, according to the new study, and are one-and-a-half times more likely to experience poor mental health as young men (41% compared with 26%). Picture: Alamy

That is significantly higher than in 2000, when that figure stood at 24%.

Young women are particularly affected, according to the new study, and are one-and-a-half times more likely to experience poor mental health as young men (41% compared with 26%).

The research also looked at the skills levels of young people who are not working because of ill health, and found that 79% of 18 to 24-year-olds who are "workless" due to ill health only have qualifications at GCSE level or below.

This compares with a third (34%) of all people in that age group.

Meanwhile, one in eight (12%) 11 to 16-year-olds with poor mental health missed more than 15 days of school in the autumn term of 2023, compared with one in 50 healthier classmates, the report said.

Furthermore, if children suffer poor mental health aged 11 to 14, they are three times more likely not to pass five GCSEs including maths and English compared with healthier children.

sss
Furthermore, over the past decade, those with mental health problems have been consistently more likely to be in low-paid work than those without, although some do value the flexibility, the report found. Picture: Alamy

The report also uncovered the extent to which young people with mental health problems are more likely to be out of work.

Between 2018 and 2022, some 21% of 18 to 24-year-olds with mental health problems were not in work, compared with 13% of those without such issues.

Furthermore, over the past decade, those with mental health problems have been consistently more likely to be in low-paid work than those without, although some do value the flexibility, the report found.

In 2022, 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds with mental health problems who were in work were in a low-paid job, compared with 35% of healthier peers.

Meanwhile, a third of young people with mental health problems and no degree are out of work, compared with 17% of graduates with the same illnesses.

The study concluded that efforts to tackle Britain's epidemic of poor mental health should focus on lower-qualified young people.

It also called for greater mental health support to be available in colleges and sixth forms and for more to be done to ensure fewer people leave compulsory education with low qualification levels.

Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: "Attention on this issue has tended to focus on higher education, but what should most worry us is when poor mental health comes together with poor education outcomes.

"The economic consequences of poor mental health are starkest for young people who don't go to university, with one in three young non-graduates with a common mental disorder currently workless.

"To address this mental health crisis, we need better support services in currently underserved colleges, and much better provision for those resitting exams so that everyone has qualifications to build on."

Jo Bibby, director of health at the Health Foundation, said: "Policymakers need to focus on the building blocks of health, such as good employment and education, to ensure young people get the support they need and have the tools to move through the world as adults.

"Without concerted cross-government action, we risk creating a 'lost generation' due to ill health."

The Government has been contacted for comment.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT-GAZA-US-AID

26 people killed and more than 150 injured after Israeli tanks open fire outside Gaza aid centre

Fruit flavoured disposable vapes for sale in a West End store in London.

Disposable vape ban comes into force - but will it be enough to cut 'avalanche' of litter?

A detailed closeup shows a hand holding a cigarette with smoke rising, reflecting todays smoking culture

Where can I smoke and vape in the UK?

Car ploughs into crowd celebrating PSG Champions League win in France injuring four members of same family

Car ploughs into crowd celebrating PSG Champions League win in France injuring four members of same family

People thought to be migrants board a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Starmer 'loses control' on immigration as 1,200 migrants cross Channel in a day

US prosecutors allege Miller was working with a Chinese national to illegally acquire weapons systems and other classified equipment for the Chinese government.

British businessman 'caught spying for China' faces 40 years in US prison after FBI sting

Dani captioned the post of the newly weds 'The Bowens'

Love Island's Dani Dyer and West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen tie knot in 'Bridgerton-inspired' ceremony

Paris St Germain sweep aside Inter Milan to win Champions League

Paris St-Germain thrash Inter Milan with record 5-0 win - becoming Champions of Europe for the first time

A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, in an attempt to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Picture date: Saturday May 31, 2025.

Coastguard resources 'stretched thin' by migrant rescues as fishing boats urged to help yacht in trouble

Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar was killed in an Israeli airstrike

Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar 'eliminated' in airstrike on tunnel under south Gaza hospital, IDF confirms

Brandon Moore is a rugby league player.

Rugby league star missing as wife issues desperate plea to find father of three

Thicke and his long-term partner tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

'Through Thicke and thin': Robin Thicke gets hitched to model April Love Geary in Mexico after seven-year engagement

Police officers look at the remains of a crashed plane on the terrace of a residential building in Korschenbroich, Germany, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (David Young/dpa via AP)

Two people die after small plane crashes into house in Germany

Aziz Ziriat had been hiking in the Dolomites with his friend.

Body of British hiker missing in Italy since January found at foot of mountain as family praise rescuers' 'commitment'

Emergency services were called to Frith Road, Croydon, just after 9am on Saturday and treated two injured people at the scene.

Woman in her 20s stabbed to death in 'tragic' incident in Croydon as man arrested on suspicion of murder

WFP distribute flour to Palestinians struggling with hunger in Gaza.

Dozens of UN food lorries 'blocked and emptied' by desperate Palestinians