Number of Young Britons Too Sick to Work Doubles in A Decade
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The number of young people out of work due to ill health in Britain has doubled in a decade, with the problem most acute among those with poor qualifications, according to new research.
The Resolution Foundation said 185,000 people aged 18 to 24 were too sick to work last year. Around four in five had qualifications at GCSE-level or below, indicating they left education at age 16, Bloomberg reported.
The combination of ill health and low attainment at school is putting young people at a double disadvantage by dimming their chances of getting a job in future if their health improves, the researcher said.
It is also costing the economy as a whole, with companies struggling to fill vacancies after hundreds of thousands of people left the labor force since the pandemic.
Many who dropped out are in their 50s and early 60s suffering from health conditions. In his budget in March, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt offered billions of pounds of incentives to get them working again.
However, the Resolution Foundation said a focus on older workers means the plight of many who should be starting careers has gone under the radar.
The study noted that overall levels of youth worklessness are low. A common mental health disorder was cited by the majority of those too ill work prior to the pandemic, suggesting an educational divide when it comes to seeking help.
The report will raise fresh concerns about the damaging effect Covid-19 lockdowns had on the education of young people.
Almost 80 per cent of GCSE students said they suffered academically due to the pandemic, according to Office for National Statistics research published Friday. Only a third of young people in deprived areas said their studies left them prepared for their subsequent job or education.
