A third of young people lack faith in local job prospects

One in three 16-21 year olds (32%) in the UK lack confidence in local job prospects, and only 35% believe local firms offer career opportunities to match their ambitions.

The young people surveyed also feel that they lack awareness of opportunities (35%), and over half (56%) worry about gaining the relevant experience for the role they want, according to latest findings in the report, ‘Age of Uncertainty: Young people’s views on the challenges of getting into work in 21st Century Britain’ published yesterday by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and EY Foundation.

The survey, conducted by Populus, found that a lack of confidence affected those from lower-socio economic groups more, as they are less likely than their peers to believe they can get employed locally (33% compared to 25%).

The report calls for employers to work with education on tackling the issue, as it’s not a lack of vision holding these young people back; 63% of young people have the ambition to lead a team, 40% aspire to become the boss of a company, and 37% would like to start their own business.