Youngsters fear for future job prospects

Almost half of young people fear there will be fewer jobs for their generation in the next three years, according to a new study.

In a survey of 2,200 youngsters aged between 16 and 25, The Prince's Trust found that job prospects were playing on their minds and hitting their confidence and happiness levels.

Such were their concerns over a lack of available roles in the coming years, close to one in three of those surveyed said they were just having to take any job they could, rather than focus on developing a career.

The study, published ahead of the latest unemployment figures due to be released on Wednesday, also showed that one in four young people feel "trapped" in jobs they did not want.

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More than a quarter are working part-time, with one in 10 on zero-hours contracts, and just over 12% of them have two or more jobs.

Nick Stace, the charity's UK chief executive, said the findings showed a "staggering deterioration in young people's confidence in themselves and in their future".

He continued: "The cliff edge decline in young people not feeling in control of their lives echoes conversations we have every day with young people who speak of their fears about finding work, taking short-term jobs over longer-term careers and the knock on effect of heightened uncertainty in the economy."

The Prince's Trust conducted the research alongside financial services company the Macquarie Group, which has described the results as "concerning".

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A Local Government Association spokesman added: "This research raises a number of genuine concerns about the future employment prospects for young people.

"By 2024 there will be more than four million too few high-skilled people to take up available jobs and more than six million too many low-skilled workers.

"Failure to address these gaps could lead to young people trapped in jobs they don't want, without the skills needed to progress.

"Devolving apprenticeships and funding to the local areas in which they are used will allow better co-ordination of services to help young people get the skills they need to progress in work, and supply businesses with the right skills at the right time to help local economies grow, rather than training people for a role that may not exist."