According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in its latest economic review, the unemployment rate among 16- to 17-year-olds is 35.9%, and 18% among 18- to 24-year-olds.
Young people in Britain have borne the brunt of the financial crisis, with a larger proportion of 16- to 24-year-olds now out of work than any other age group. In contrast the rate falls to 4.7% among 35- to 49-year-olds, and 4.4% among 50- to 64-year-olds. Those aged between 18 and 24 accounted for almost 30% of the rise in the unemployment rate between the first quarter of 2008 and the peak in unemployment in the fourth quarter of 2011, roughly double their proportion of the labour force. Over that period the overall jobless rate rose from 5.2% to 8.4%.
Older workers have fared relatively better during the crisis. People aged 35 to 49 make up a bigger proportion of the UK workforce, at just over a third, but only accounted for about 20% of the increase in the jobless rate over the period.
“The burden of higher unemployment has therefore fallen most heavily on younger workers; while the recent fall in unemployment rates has benefited workers aged 35-49 proportionately more than those aged 18-24 and 25-34,” the ONS said in its analysis. Read more
