The latest unemployment figures revealed a small rise in employment for 18-24 year olds, however 18.7% – nearly one in five – are still struggling to find work.
Any fall in unemployment – however small – is welcome, but do not be under any illusions: this government has waged an unprecedented attack on young people and their hope for the future.
Worryingly, the figures also revealed that long-term joblessness has hit a 17-year high. This is especially distressing for Britain’s young people, because 12 months out of work for someone with little experience can make it even harder to find a job in these tough times.
Cameron and his chums will try to spin these figures, but with 2.51m people still unemployed, I suggest he should put a cork back in his champagne.
It is time for this government to face up to the fact that young people in this country are facing an employment crisis, with nearly one million stuck on the dole and inevitably struggling to make ends meet.
Celebrating a fall in unemployment of this nature is an insult to all the young people who are confined to the misery of unemployment. The government needs to offer hope to young people who find themselves in this position.
The repeated mantra of austerity will be of no comfort to anyone, with rising inflation squeezing living standards even for those in work. It is no surprise that 93% of young people feel the coalition is doing nothing for them.
In fact, the government’s politically-motivated attack on the services that young people rely on is only making a bad situation worse.
This government has presided over an astronomical rise in tuition fees, the scrapping of the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and the axing of careers advice provider Connexions.
All this while the number of young people not in employment, education or training is rising. The coalition has even had the gall to consider privatising student debts.
In 2013, young people leave school to an increasingly tough jobs market or a continuing education that they can ill-afford. This will have huge costs to society in the long run, but the true tragedy is for those young people being stripped of a future.
The government needs to do more to address this crisis. It is failing to stimulate the economy which is vital to creating long-term, full-time jobs for our young people.
The coalition urgently needs to invest in education and training for the under 25s, rather than discouraging them from further education at every turn.
The only way this youth unemployment time bomb can be averted is if the government invests in a pro-growth, pro-jobs economic stimulus to provide hope to young people that there are jobs out there.
Austerity will only worsen this emergency; the economy cannot recover until people have money to spend. This is why the government needs to act now to boost the number of full-time, fairly-paid jobs available – particularly for 18-24 year olds.
It is natural for young people to feel betrayed by this government; the rug is being pulled from under their feet, with education and training being limited in the midst of high unemployment. Young people need these options to be available, but more than this they need hope.
The coalition needs to undo the damage done by its policies before it’s too late, or risk being remembered as the government that lost a generation.