The lost generation - youth unemployment nears one million

The youth unemployment figures currently splashed over the front pages of the newspapers make troubling reading. In little over a year, the number of unemployed young people in the UK has risen from 645,000 to 928,000. In a recessionary market it is the young, who lack in skills and experience, who suffer the most. Yet there is an untold story behind these figures. The numbers of young people (16-24-year-olds) not in employment, education or training (“Neets”) have remained virtually constant for a decade. In England alone, the rise from 663,000 Neets in 2001 to 857,000 in 2008 is roughly in line with the demographic rise in that age group.