Thousands of young people from jobless families could be destined to join their parents in the dole queue because of extremely low levels of confidence and a failure to master the basics of time-keeping and correct dressing, a study by the Prince's Trust warns today. The survey of more than 2,000 young people from jobless households found nearly one in five expected to end up on benefits because people around them already were. One in four felt their parents did not have the knowledge to help them find work, while almost one in 10 had not thought about what career they want.
The research shows that young people from jobless families are significantly more likely to struggle to find work and are much less positive about their future. Seventy percent admitted struggling to find a job, while 20% said seeing their parents out of work made them anxious about finding a job. Martina Milburn, the chief executive of the Prince's Trust, said: "Too many young people are facing a cycle of worklessness and can't see a way out. It is a tragedy to think that so many feel condemned to a life on benefits."
The government says "inter-generational poverty" must end [hmmm, and what are they doing about that exactly? - Ed]. There are 1.9 million children living in jobless households – the highest number in the EU. Britain has one of highest rates of jobless households in the EU, third only to Belgium and Hungary, with nearly 4.8 million working-age people living in a household where no one works. Milburn said it was time to look at families, not just individuals, on welfare. "We have young people whose families try to persuade them to leave jobs … and return to benefits because everybody else in the house is not working."
Destined for the dole (pdf)
Destined for the dole (pdf)
