Wednesday September 9th 2026
Photo by Devin Avery
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Young people across the UK are calling on the government to do more to support them into good jobs, and many are considering moving abroad if none are available, according to a new poll by the John Smith Centre published today (9 September).
Only a third think government work support is good enough, while only 40% agree education prepared them well for the labour market.
Such is the difficulty of finding work, a half of young people in Britain say they have seriously considered moving abroad to get a job.
The survey, sponsored by Nationwide, comes ahead of the publication of the Milburn review into young people classified as ‘NEET’, which is expected to recommend wide-ranging reforms to support 16-25 year olds into work.
Nearly one million young people are NEET across the UK, according to the latest figures.
Meanwhile, young people say they are finding it harder than ever to move into a job, with some job websites showing a halving in graduate level jobs compared to this time last year.
Young people want to work, the poll found: 63% said they wanted to work full time, while 75% agreed that work led to being more respected.
But those not in work are losing faith they will do so: just a third of young people in the NEET category said they felt confident about finding a job, compared to 66% of those in work.
Eddie Barnes, director of the John Smith Centre, said:
“For far too many young people the first rungs on the career ladder are simply being knocked away. Our poll shows the consequences: a half of young people in Britain say they have seriously thought about moving abroad to find a job. Without action, this jobs crisis could lead to a youth exodus.
“Our poll shows clearly that young people want to work – the claim by some that Gen Z are ‘shirkers’ is nonsense. That only makes it even more incumbent on government and our education system to help them find the job they deserve.
“Alan Milburn’s forthcoming report on how to support the “NEET generation” young people into work cannot come a moment too soon. Mr Milburn has rightly called this issue a ‘moral crisis’ and our poll shows that unemployed young people are twice as pessimistic about their job prospects than those in work.
“The message from young people is very clear – replace the rungs on the ladder so we can get on.”
Lynn McManus, Group Chief People Officer at Nationwide, said:
“These findings highlight the importance of creating more opportunities for young people. Employers, educators and policymakers all have a role to play, because young people will be central to driving the future growth and competitiveness of the UK economy.”
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