YES, ONE IN FIVE YOUNG ARE JOBLESS – BUT WE MUST NOT GIVE UP ON THEM, SAYS GRADUATE FOG
Did anybody see last night’s Newsnight?
I thought the coverage of the latest unemployment statistics was fantastic – but one thing grated on my nerves: this label the ‘Lost Generation’.
When I first heard the term, it was being used as a threat of what could happen if the politicians didn’t get their act together to help the young people of this country.
But increasingly it seems to be used alongside a suggestion that the establishment has already given up on young people, and that it is inevitable that a whole generation will be ‘lost’.
I have a problem with this defeatist tone of covering the important problem of youth unemployment. Those in power mustn’t give up – and this generation becoming ‘lost’ isn’t inevitable.
Yes, the latest set of unemployment statistics (announced yesterday) painted a pretty bleak picture for the UK’s young people. The number of unemployed 16- to 24-year-olds has jumped by 28,000 to 943,000 – which means almost one in five (19.8%) are out of work. This is the highest number since records began in 1992.
Clearly, this is not good news – and unemployment is a complex issue to solve. But we must continue to believe that it can be solved, if we put our heads together.
And if the politicians stopped talking and started listening to what this generation is actually saying, we might have a chance. You have bags of ideas and energy. You are resourceful and hard-working. You don’t expect to get-rich-quick after graduation, but you do expect to be paid a fair (and lawful) wage.
You have invested a huge amount in an education you were encouraged to get – and now you are being squeezed out of the job market because you don’t have any experience. Meanwhile, the politicians are doing nothing to help.
Angry? Yes. But lost? No.
Are you part of the ‘Lost Generation’?
How do you feel about this label? Have the politicians abandoned you? Or do you have faith that they will act soon, to help young people into work?
We aren’t lost. They just wish we were lost so they wouldn’t have to deal with us. We are VERY MUCH HERE.
I think the ‘Lost Generation’ is apt. I feel like I spent all of my childhood and most of my adult life developing myself and now I feel like I’m ‘surplus to requirement’. I’m in month 8 of a 2 month internship and I work part time. I have to say its much better than jumping hoops for the job centre, but I have such little money and so many worries I really wish I got a big break.
This is damaging me in ways only I will realise after a few years.
Hmm, interesting – these are two very different views… Thanks to you both for speaking up. I have no doubt you both represent a sizeable cohort of people.
@Michael, do you mean that your internship that was supposed to be 2 months has stretched to 8 months? Are you being paid? And can you expand on how you feel this situation might be damaging you?
I feel things are getting better. After being on JSA for over 6 months I have just had 3 interviews in the last 3 weeks. Two of which were in london and another near sunderland.
I have only just got back from the london interview (3 hours ago) and when I checked my emails I found that I have another face to face interview scheduled for the new year as well as a phone interview, however the 2 future interviews are not grad roles but my hopes are quickly being raised that I will get something soon.
I really don’t like the term “Lost Generation”, it makes me feel like we have all been written off. I definately agree with Michael about feeling “surplus to requirement”. I used to wonder if they had written us off and were re-grouping to focus on the people now reaching university age however with the further education cuts I’m not sure what they are planning.
@Tanya
In answer to your questions:
1. My internship was offered to me and said in the ‘contract’ (not that it paid anything) that it would be at least 2 months and no longer than 4 months. I’m still there, initially I was doing administrative work but now I’m doing research. I’m still staying there because I haven’t found a full time job. Also I feel a bit weird about it all. I should perhaps ‘quit’ although it is giving me good experience and things to talk about in covering letters. To be blunt though: I have been working for them for such a long time and I am not being paid.
2. Unemployment has such a stigma. Not having enough disposable cash kills a lot of my social life. I couldn’t afford to live in the city of where my university was so I had to move back home, which ended a long term relationship I had with my girlfriend at the time. I’ve been rejected numerous PhDs (which is really what I want to do) and its destroyed my confidence and hope that I can do anything special.
As time goes on people will have more to think about than the graduates from 2008-2009. What about the ‘A’ level people? What about those who don’t have up to 5 GCSE’s up to A-C? What about the senior unemployed, or those who graduated in 2010 or 2011? There are too many people to think about who are losing from this situation, which makes me feel like we are going to be forgotten.
One thing that really depresses me is that I’m going to be 25 next year and I am still in this darned situation. Even though I’m not technically unemployed anymore, the part time job I’m workign pays so little it is only marginally more than the JSA (most of the time).
I’m still persisting. But its so easy to sink rather than swim in this job climate.
@Michael
Thanks for expanding and telling us more about your situation…
I wonder how many graduates are in this position, right now? I fear it is extremely common. I hate the way you’re made to feel that you should accept experience in lieu of pay – it really shouldn’t be a case that you can only have one or the other! Experience should be something you get as a by-product of having a (paid) job.
I’m really sorry to hear this – it seems to be a clear illustration that ‘the graduate problem’ is not only upsetting your career plans but also your personal life : (
Don’t beat yourself up too much about this – it is all too easy to lose track of time when you’re struggling to get your career started… And although I hate to admit it, your (unpaid) internship has given your CV something… Now perhaps the question to ask yourself is: “How can i give my job-hunt a really good boost in the new year?” If you only had, say, 2 weeks to really go for this career you’ve got in mind, what would you do? In other words, what would ‘pulling out all the stops’ look like for you?