Young people finishing school, college or university this summer are facing the toughest outlook since 1994, according to a Trades Union Congress (TUC) analysis. The TUC report, published last week, looks at both employment and education trends over the last 20 years, shows that the proportion of young people in full-time education has nearly doubled from 24 per cent in 1992 to 41 per cent in 2012. Despite this surge in education, the proportion of young people who are neither working nor studying full-time today remains close to record levels at 20.4 per cent, the highest level since October 1994. The TUC is concerned that with 488,000 16-24 year olds currently out of work for at least six months - a figure that is rising even as overall unemployment falls - the country risks losing a generation of young people to unemployment and under-achievement before their careers have even begun.
Pray: for young people as they face the challenges of work and the toughest economic climate for nearly 20 years. (Eph.2:10)