02.01.14
Long-term unemployed feel ‘hopeless’ – Prince’s Trust
Three-quarters of a million young people feel they have nothing to live for, shocking new research indicates.
The Prince’s Trust’s Macquarie Youth Index found that young people who were long-term unemployed were more than twice as likely to have been prescribed anti-depressants as their peers and one in three had contemplated suicide. The report found that 40% of jobless young people were experiencing symptoms of mental illness as a direct result of unemployment.
More than three-quarters of a million young people agreed with the statement ‘I have nothing to live for’.
The results are based on 2,161 interviews with 16 to 25-year-olds.
The Prince’s Trust has urged government, employers and the health service to develop better support for young people, particularly those who are Neet (Not in employment, education or training).
Martina Milburn, chief executive of youth charity The Prince’s Trust, said: “Unemployment is proven to cause devastating, long-lasting mental health problems among young people. Thousands wake up every day believing that life isn’t worth living, after struggling for years in the dole queue.
“More than 440,000 young people are facing long-term unemployment, and it is these young people that urgently need our help.
“If we fail to act, there is a real danger that these young people will become hopeless, as well as jobless.”
A spokesperson for the DWP said: “Through the youth contract, we've hugely increased the number of work experience placements and apprenticeships to give young people the support they need to find a job.
“By offering employers wage incentives worth up to £2,275 we are helping businesses to take them on. The work programme has also helped more than 74,000 young people escape long-term unemployment and find lasting work.”
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