The ONS have released the latest Labour Market Overview covering the months of December 2022 – February 2023.
What does this mean for Youth Employment?
The latest labour market overview from the Office for National Statistics shows that the youth employment rate remains at 10.8%, nearly three times the all-age rate, with 459,000 16-24-year-olds unemployed (including students).
Headlines for young people aged 16-24
In work:
| Employment rate | Employment Level |
| 55.2% (↑0.1%) | 3,776,000 (↑10,000) |
Unemployment:
| Unemployment rate | Unemployment Level |
| 10.8% (-) | 459,000 (↑1,000) |
Economically inactive:
| Economically inactive rate | Economically inactive level |
| 38.1% (↓0.1) | 2,604,000 (↓8,000) |
Education:
| In full-time education | Not in full-time education |
| 3,003,000 (↓45,000) | 3,835,000 (↑47,500) |
Worklessness:
| Not in full-time education or employment | |
| 1,105,000 (↓17,000) | |
| Economically inactiveÂ
(not in full-time education) |
Unemployed (not in full-time education) |
|  691,500 (↑7,000) | 322,500 (↑21,500) |
Headlines for all ages
In work:
| Employment rate | Employment Level |
| 75.8% (↑0.1%) 16-64 | 32,950,000(↑111,500) |
Unemployment:
| Unemployment rate | Unemployment Level |
| 3.8% (↑0.1%) | 1,293,000 (↑40,000) |
Economically inactive:
| Economically inactive rate | Economically inactive level |
| 21.1 (↓0.2)16-64 | 8,792,000 (↓66,000) 16-64 |
Commentary
This month’s employment figures reveal that there are over one million young people who are not in full time education or in employment. There are long term risks for these young people and the wider UK economy if we do not address the barriers this group of young people are facing to entering employment or education opportunities. The government needs to respond quickly to ensure that there are clear pathways for all young people as they transition from education in to work.
CEO, Laura-Jane Rawlings:
As the cost of living crisis continues to bite and job vacancies continue to fall there is a real cause for concern for the significant number of young people not in full-time education or employment. We need to better understand the make up of this group of young people, he challenges they are facing and the support they need to help them move into employment, education and training opportunities.
The Youth Voice Census 2023 is an important opportunity for all young people aged 11-30 to share their views and experiences about their journey to work and the barriers they are facing.
If we are to help and support young people we need to listen to them first.
