Job creation in green sectors could transform prospects for young people

A new report from the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warns of generational progress grinding to a halt in the UK, with the wage gap between older and younger workers widening, unless ambitious job targets are made.

The report, titled A Better Future: Transforming jobs and skills for young people post-pandemic, also found that youth employment has fallen by a quarter of a million since the start of the pandemic.

The pandemic has also seen a large growth in the number of young people participating in full-time education, with it now at its highest rate on record, leading to large falls in labour market participation and a key driver in current difficulties that employers are having in filling entry-level jobs.

The research also found that young people are over-represented in sectors that are expected to see lower employment growth in the long term, and vital ‘stepping stone’ mid-skill jobs are declining, with more young people in insecure or part time work.

However, the research identified that the shift to green jobs through government investment could create an additional 130,000 jobs for young people, many of which in the crucial mid-skill job spectrum.

Joy Williams, IES lead author, said: ‘The pandemic has had a seismic impact on young people’s education and employment, but it is important now to look beyond its immediate aftermath and grasp a once in a generation opportunity to address longstanding problems with the youth labour market, including persistent regional disparities, unequal outcomes and increased precariousness.’

Clare McNeil, IPPR lead author and associate director of IPPR, added: ‘Young people today will only avoid the fate of poorer job prospects and lower lifetime earnings than previous generations, through ambitious job creation targets, reform of the youth employment and skills system and the promotion of forms of non-work income to bolster their security.’

In related news, a service that helps people in Greater Manchester to retrofit their homes is planning to train 3,500 builders, joiners, electricians and plumbers in green skills over the next five years with money raised via a £550,000 community share offer.

Photo by Leon