the young unemployed

kabayiri

To summarise this thread then, are people saying "our indigenous young person is not as committed as the freely mobile European migrant worker, and will not supplant them in the short/mid term" ?

If this is the case, we have to accept that we have to carry the baggage of a large unemployed workforce as a nation. There isn't any simplistic mass scale way of generating additional jobs without incurring state subsidy.

Some people seem to bemoan the British unemployed for their lack of work ethic and in the next breath bemoan their cost to the state. You can't have it both ways!

Pennywise

globalds wrote: »

For the last 50 years every task in every industry I can think of has become more productive.

From 38 ton artics delivering your food to ATM machines in banks ...There is more done , but less labour needed ..It is a trend and will continue.

There will be an ever reducing percentage of profitably employed people in society.

This is something we should really by now be getting used to.

The actual number in employment continues to rise in an upward trend (if you ignore short term fluctuations). Whilst technology has indeed reduced the need for workers, we, as a country, seem to be doing quite well in creating new jobs to keep up with the rise in population.

But technology hadn't lived up to the hype. Look at bin men - technology has meant that they don't have to lift the bins into the wagon anymore, but there's still just as many bin men per wagon. All technology has done is make their life easier as they don't have to lift anymore. Look at office computerisation - OK no need for as many clerks or secretaries or admin assistants but most firms will have in-house computer support staff instead. OK we don't have major employers employing thousands as much, but there are loads of small business parks with lots of small businesses employing a small number of staff. The labour market has changed - it's not disappeared.

Just like the myth that "we don't manufacture anymore". In fact we are still in the top few places of manufacturing companies. OK we may not produce as much as we used to, but once we were the world leader! To be in the top 10 competing against the likes of Germany and China, is impressive!

People need to adapt to the modern world. We ain't going back to having mines and steel works employing thousands of unskilled people for relatively good money any time soon. It's a great shame that far too many young people seem to waste 10 years of free education that would be the envy of billions of people in developing countries. There really is no excuse that so many youngsters don't have even the basic grasp of functional literacy and numeracy and don't have a work ethic.

atush

ukcarper wrote: »

I don't think that is true.

It is true in my town. Never see UK teenagers working places like McD's and more so, KFC where I live. All eastern europeans.

chewmylegoff

jamespir wrote: »

i think more needs to be done to help young people into work instead of trying to make it harder for them
and young school leavers are getting such a bad name when its undesrved

It's easy to say "more needs to be done", but what do you specifically recommend that the government does in order to resolve the situation?

ukcarper

atush wrote: »

It is true in my town. Never see UK teenagers working places like McD's and more so, KFC where I live. All eastern europeans.

Lots of English kids in McD's where I am, KFC not so many but I think it might depend on who owns franchise. The local fish and chip shops that aren’t owned by Chinese are all English.

heathcote123

atush wrote: »

It is true in my town. Never see UK teenagers working places like McD's and more so, KFC where I live. All eastern europeans.

Do you find that generally makes the service better as well?

Kennyboy66

michaels wrote: »

And yet in every supermarket and bar you get served by young people from other countries either from Europe or students from further afield - why can they find jobs and yet British young people can not?

Because most of the workers from overseas serving your latte or your pint of lager are miles better qualified than the average UK NEET.

UK graduates don't have a problem finding temporary work in call centres, shops, bars etc frustrating as it maybe.

Perhaps the only true area were unskilled migrants out compete 'local' labour is for agricultural work. This is nothing new - the problem has existed for 40 years or more in the UK and is replicated from Alabama to Queensland.

lvader

Although not great by any means, unemployment in the UK is quite low compared to the rest of Europe. In Italy and Spain it's more like 1 in 2 young unemployed.