Tue, 17 Feb 2026

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 'The search is soul-destroying': Young jobseekers on the struggle to find work

People aged between 16 and 24 are bearing the brunt of a weak employment market, figures show.

* 16.1% of people aged 16-24 in the UK are unemployed, compared to a national unemployment figure of 5.1%
* Young people are bearing the brunt of the UK's weak labour market, with many struggling to find work despite being highly educated
* Businesses are cutting staff and not taking on new hires due to rising costs, particularly in sectors that traditionally gave young people their first jobs, such as retail and hospitality
* Graduate-level roles are also proving harder to land, with many graduates saying they have applied for multiple jobs without success
* Artificial intelligence (AI) is being cited by businesses as a reason for layoffs, making it harder for young people to find entry-level jobs
* Many jobseekers are using AI to write applications and help them increase the number of applications they can submit
* Even jobs that can't be easily replaced by AI, such as caring roles, are hard to secure
* The government has pledged to tackle youth unemployment with a Youth Guarantee Scheme, but some argue it doesn't go far enough in helping young people find work.
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