The workplace inclusion of young people is being damaged by the loss of jobs in sectors most likely to employ younger workers, the TUC has claimed.
Its figures show that the manufacturing, construction, retail, hotel and restaurant sectors – which account for over half of all youth employment – have between them shed close to one million jobs since the eve of the recession in 2007.
The manufacturing and construction sectors have been the hardest hit by the recession, says the TUC, and have seen the loss of 406,000 and 281,000 jobs respectively since the last quarter of 2007.
The retail, hotel and restaurants industries, which employ four in ten young workers in the UK, have lost 221,000 jobs over the same period.
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“A recovery in retail, hotels and restaurants is particularly important for young people as this is where they are most likely to find work,” said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.
“Unfortunately these jobs are heavily dependent on people’s disposable incomes and falling wages are forcing people to rein in their spending.”
Mr Barber encouraged the government to do more to promote the inclusion in the workplace of young people.
“Ministers can start by introducing a guarantee of paid work or training for every young person who has been out of work for six months or more, as well as a new youth credit to boost access to training, work placements or progression into better jobs,” he said.
Meanwhile, today (April 18th) saw the release of the latest unemployment figures from the Office for National Statistics, which revealed that the number of people without a job fell by 35,000 in the first quarter of the year – the first drop since May 2011.
However, unemployment among women rose by 8,000 in the quarter to 1.14 million, the highest since November 1987, suggesting female workers continue to be disproportionately affected by the economic downturn and job losses in the public sector.
