Is Our Country Letting People Down on Jobs—From Youth to Over-50s?
As recruiters for sustainability jobs, we try our best to help as many people as possible, but unfortunatly the number of jobs out there our beyond our control.
We see it as amidst rising living costs and headlines about the ‘cost of living emergency,’ a quieter but deeper crisis has emerged: too many people, young and old, are struggling to find or keep jobs. Despite some progress, recent data shows stark inequalities in employment, no matter the age.
Youth: Almost 1 Million Young People Are Jobless or Out of Training
620,000 under-25s were unemployed in early 2025—a 14.2 % youth unemployment rate—up from 13.2 % last year (youtube.com, commonslibrary.parliament.uk).
A staggering 923,000 young people (16–24) are NEET—not in employment, education, or training (ft.com).
Disadvantaged youth—due to socio-economic background, SEND, or disability—are 66 % more likely to be NEET (ft.com).
Schools, businesses, and community programs (like the FT’s “Lifting Lives”) are stepping in—but the scale needed is vast (ft.com).
Youth unemployment is coated with long-term effects: lower lifetime earnings, mental health impacts, and erosion of skills. With almost 1 in 8 young people disengaged, the UK is risking a "lost generation."
Over-50s: Underserved and Overlooked
Once aged 50+, the employment challenges don't fade—they deepen:
The UK unemployment rate has ticked up to 4.5 %, the highest in nearly four years (ground.news, hrmagazine.co.uk, theguardian.com).
Experts argue that targeted help for those aged 50+ could boost productivity and help supply labour to sectors in need .
Across the EU, older workers face higher long-term unemployment (35.5 % vs. 22 % for 25–54) (winssolutions.org).
Despite increased employment rates among 55–64-year-olds, ageism, health challenges, and caring responsibilities create significant barriers (winssolutions.org). Government focus remains on under-25s, leaving this demographic underserved (ageing-better.org.uk).
Labour Market Trends: A Cooling, Not Collapsing
Vacancies have dropped 5.3 %, while unemployment has risen (theguardian.com).
The number of economically inactive adults wanting work remains stable at around 2 million .
These data reveal a labour market that’s cooling faster than many realise, hinting at emerging structural issues—not just economic slowdowns .
What’s Going Wrong Across All Generations?
Skills mismatch, Career uncertainty, lack of awareness of green/digital roles, Stuck in sectors needing new skills, lack retraining, Employer demand is cooling but remains strong in growth sectors.
Solutions: What Both Generations Need
Targeted Bridge Programmes
Youth “guarantees” need scale and local adaptation (youthfuturesfoundation.org, ft.com).
Older workers benefit from re-skilling, flexible and age-friendly job pathways (winssolutions.org).
Cross-Sector Collaboration
Public-private partnerships to deliver apprenticeships, health support, and mentoring solutions.
Community-led models (e.g., youth clubs, Age-friendly employer pledges) help tailor support regionally (ageing-better.org.uk).
Supportive Policy Frameworks
Age-neutral jobs tax credits; anti-ageism hiring laws.
Mental-health and disability-friendly workplaces to prevent drop-outs .
Continuous Labour Market Intelligence
Better LFS data, alongside administrative records, can identify hot spots (e.g., Scotland vs. North East) (learningandwork.org.uk).
Early Awareness & Guidance
Expand career discovery beyond traditional academic pathways (ground.news).
More apprenticeship programmes.
Are We Letting People Down?
Based on the data, yes, the system is failing both younger and older jobseekers—just in different ways. Youth facing disconnection and long-term career damage, older workers battling bias and outdated systems, and both needing more tailored support.
What Can Be Done—And Now?
Policymakers must extend youth pilot programmes, develop age-inclusive hiring schemes, and redefine employer standards for wellbeing and flexibility.
Employers should invest in age-aware recruitment, apprenticeships, and flexible roles—attracting underutilised talent.
Communities need to drive local interventions—from youth clubs to mature employment initiatives, reflecting each area's challenges.
Think tanks can bridge sectors, design targeted interventions, test pilot models, and bring voices of NEET communities, older jobseekers, and employers together.
The question isn’t just if our country is failing—it’s who’s being left behind, and how we can fix it. Only a shared, systemic response tailored to generation-specific needs can bring us closer to employment equity.
Lets get going FORWARDS!