Claim: Young people are struggling to find secure work.
Quote: “Our manifesto is for you […] Young people struggling to find a secure job.” - Jeremy Corbyn, 16 May 2017
Analysis: Young people aged 16-24 are the most likely age group to be without a job while actively seeking one. Their unemployment rate is over 12% compared to under 5% for the general population.
That’s been changing. In 2010 the unemployment rate for 16-24s was 20%, following sharp rises after the 2008 recession.
Working out whether young people are unable to get a ‘secure’ job is harder. The figures we do have don’t always show people are struggling—they show that in many cases people on zero hours or part time work do so by choice.
38% of 16-24 year olds work part time, compared to just over a quarter of the entire population. Many will be in full time education, so won’t want more hours.
5% of 16-24 year olds are self-employed, compared to 15% overall.
The same age group are also the most likely to be on a zero-hours contract. One third of people on these contracts are aged 16-24—around 8% of all young people in work.
Verdict:
People aged 16-24 are the most likely age group to be actively looking for a job but not have one. It’s harder to say if they’re struggling to find ‘secure’ jobs.
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