UK Youth Face 'Lost Generation' Risk as Numbers Outside Work, Education, or Training Near One Million

Kathmandu. The number of young people in Britain who are outside of employment, education, or training is nearing one million, and the risk of 'disillusionment and aimlessness' is increasing among them.

If no action is taken to solve the problem, a recently published report has warned that by 2031, the number of young people aged 16 to 24 not engaged in employment, education, or training will reach 1.25 million, meaning one in every six young people will face this problem.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has conducted a review to understand the causes of rising youth unemployment last year. "We are at risk of a 'lost generation'," said Alan Milburn, a former cabinet minister from the Labour Party who led the review, before presenting the report on Thursday.

He said, "This is not the failure of the young people. This is the failure of a system stuck in the past." According to the report, young people in Britain are struggling to reach the 'first rung of the ladder of employment opportunities', and 84 percent of the 1.25 million unemployed young people want to join a job or training.

The report states, "This is a result of a 'sharp decline' in entry-level roles such as hospitality jobs, weekend employment, and entrepreneurship." "Whether it is education, health, or welfare, the system fails to enable their participation in the labor market," Milburn said.

Proposed solutions are to be finalized in detail by the end of the year. "The issues identified in the Milburn review have long been reported by businesses," said Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce.

She said, "This report should be a warning to policymakers about the crisis of young people not in employment, education, and training."