Do young adults in the UK not want to work?

spookiefox

I have had a similar problem when I seek help and I pay considerably above minimum wage. I have had illiterates show up late or not at all. I even had one show up in a tank top & shorts. This is for a dental office. On what planet is that appropriate?They want high wages and lots of benefits with no training at all, I will even train the right person. I could go on, but you get my drift. You have my sympathy, good luck in your search.

If they were illiterate were they qualified for the job anyway?

Honestly, I can't imagine why anyone would want to work for someone with your obvious shortcomings. People don't want "high wages and lots of benefits" they want to be paid enough to live like a human being. A nice bonus would be to be treated with respect. How do I know you don't? Well, how would you know about the literacy of a person who didn't show up at all? That was obvious name calling.

LinOtt

Well said! I am in full time employment and up to now have always been. There is something wrong if it is less difficult being on the dole than earning a wage. I have looked at the minimum wage, (New Zealand) and it is not a living wage. What people dont realise is that to work you must pay for nice clothes, transport, office functions, someone else to look after the kids etc, etc. Often extra long hours are the only way to pay those bills on the minimum wage. Then you never spend time with you family and spend even more on childcare! It is rude not to cancel an appointment which you have made, this doesnt excuse rudeness, but an entire generation cant be labelled bad on the back of such behaviour.

PJ_73

I manage 4 supported housing projects for young people with complex needs in London.

Rents are higher than average because it covers the accommodation and the support element, so equates to approx £600 per month. If they are claiming housing benefit because they are job seekers, or because they are deemed as unfit to work due to physical or mental health issues, then they will be entitled to full housing benefit, regardless of the changes that the Labour government introduced.

These young people, for the interim, at least, do need to be in this kind of supported environment - so the issue arises when they find work/are able to work and have to pay their own rent.

The reality of any 16-20yr old being able to afford £600 a month rent, before bills and before 'caring' for themselves, is slim.

Sadly, a lot of the young people I work with are not in a position to take full time work, because they just can't afford to.

Even for those not in supported accommodation and not living at home - paying for accommodation is expensive and I suppose the 'comfort' of knowing that Housing Benefit will pay for some/all of their rent can be barrier to them seeking full time employment.

twinketta

I manage 4 supported housing projects for young people with complex needs in London.

Rents are higher than average because it covers the accommodation and the support element, so equates to approx £600 per month. If they are claiming housing benefit because they are job seekers, or because they are deemed as unfit to work due to physical or mental health issues, then they will be entitled to full housing benefit, regardless of the changes that the Labour government introduced.

These young people, for the interim, at least, do need to be in this kind of supported environment - so the issue arises when they find work/are able to work and have to pay their own rent.

The reality of any 16-20yr old being able to afford £600 a month rent, before bills and before 'caring' for themselves, is slim.

Sadly, a lot of the young people I work with are not in a position to take full time work, because they just can't afford to.

Even for those not in supported accommodation and not living at home - paying for accommodation is expensive and I suppose the 'comfort' of knowing that Housing Benefit will pay for some/all of their rent can be barrier to them seeking full time employment.

That is such a sad situation for these young people and for you also, trying to support them in such a difficult environment.

In my area rents can be found for bedsits at around £275 albeit they are not the sort of places that are `the best`

It is a shame that people living in areas such as London are held hostage by the city and the economy of the city that they live in

jollyjoe321

I run a business in UK, I am Polish and avoiding British workers like fire...they are horrid, never on time, always having problems, they don't want to work....And lazy, really lazy...with extraordinary expectations....this is very sad but very true...that's their benefit culture...they even say we ( outsiders) are here for their benefits..because thats all they know LOL they all want to work 16h a week and make dozens of £££....

Nice bit of casual racism there.

twinketta

I run a business in UK, I am Polish and avoiding British workers like fire...they are horrid, never on time, always having problems, they don't want to work....And lazy, really lazy...with extraordinary expectations....this is very sad but very true...that's their benefit culture...they even say we ( outsiders) are here for their benefits..because thats all they know LOL they all want to work 16h a week and make dozens of £££....

Nice bit of casual racism there.

Of course it is, but maybe the person involved does not understand the racism card, maybe it is better to overlook the comment?

geebusuk

Or maybe it was a rather legitimate opinion based on experience?
To deny someone's experience such as this is to cover up the problem.
Having lived in West Yorkshire for a while I can well see WHY many people (both British and Pakistani) from that area are racist. There are very reasonable reasons that either side dislikes the other.

And yes - even in London you can find a room with all bills included for under £300. Not in such a great area, but a roof, heating and the like.
That will give you not far off £700 to buy food and do whatever you want with.

Really not that unreasonable to my mind.

But people want to have their own place in a nicer area and living off McDonalds while making little effort in botton-rung jobs.

anemoneprose

And yes - even in London you can find a room with all bills included for under £300. Not in such a great area, but a roof, heating and the like.

i haven't lived there in years, but this is fantasy. (Unless you're talking about sharing with a few others in a single *bedroom*.)

geebusuk

I did a search on spareroom I think it was.

There was 94 rooms to rent for £300 or less per month.

Many were listed as doubles.

Sure, not in the nicest areas, but if you're on minimum wage jobs and choose to live in the most expensive part of the country, that's the 'price' you pay. I wouldn't want to do a minimum wage job while living in London.

And no, none were sharing the actual bedroom, just the house.

SilverLotusGirl

I'm not justifying the mentality but in some cases people get more income on the social security benefits than they would from working. I'm all for working and earning a living but I do understand wanting to choose the most lucrative of two situations.

VeganLexi

I run a business in UK, I am Polish and avoiding British workers like fire...they are horrid, never on time, always having problems, they don't want to work....And lazy, really lazy...with extraordinary expectations....this is very sad but very true...that's their benefit culture...they even say we ( outsiders) are here for their benefits..because thats all they know LOL they all want to work 16h a week and make dozens of £££....

If you hate the British people so much I suggest you buy yourself a plane ticket and get yourself back to Poland. There you can employ as many non Brits as you like since British people are not flocking to your country to take all the jobs.
Don't bother saying goodbye - you won't be missed.

:drinker:

__Di__

I might be saying something that some may find offensive here, and my intention is not to offend anyone, but I work and hire for a contracting company and 99% of the staff we employ are on minimum wage or just above - it's a cleaning company. The sort of people you attract with minimum wage jobs are often not the same as the ones you attract with a decent wage. Our turnover is high, their unreliability is high and their work ethic low, the majority of the time.

If you are hiring someone to train them for a better role, I would offer more money. I don't know what the nature of your business is but minimum wage jobs are in abundance, which is probably why they are not taken seriously. Raise your salary a little, and you will come across as a serious employer with serious prospects.

I totally understand what you are saying.

I have now found a nice young lad of 17 to fill the vacancy

The NMW in UK for under 18`s is £3.72 per hour. I was offering £5.80 plus bonuses and incentives and seeking someone that was not required to have qualifications. Not a fantastic amount, but IMO it seems fair based on an entry level job, a driving course and paid relevant courses. I was also offering the prospect of supporting the candidate if they wish to take an HND in engineering.

What I find appalling is that if I had offered the vacancy as an apprenticeship I would have only been required to pay £2.68 per hour. That really is a pittance

That is an absolutely terrific opportunity for somebody OP!!

I saw further on in this thread that you have now hired somebody. I sincerely hope they give it their all and do well, you 100% deserve a good employee, because you are fair :flowerforyou:

vtmoon

Why would it not be acceptable to wear jeans to an interview for a slightly above minimum wage job?

Because it shows that you have no work ethic and take no pride in being employed, it's too hard for you to dress in a non-casual manner, to appear to have put even the slightest amount of work into looking professional (even if the job is just for minimum wage). The 'job' shouldn't dictate how professional you act just like the pay shouldn't dictate how hard you are willing to work. If you can't dress nicely and put in a good day of work for minimum wage you can't be counted on to do it for more. Actually with so many people competing for the same job the person who takes that time will be the one hired all other things being equal.

That is kinda shaky advice at best. In today's work culture over dressing is as bad as under dressing. If you go wearing a full suit for an interview at a sporting goods store (applying for floor sales rep), then you won't get that job.

If we are talking about a professional career then yes, dressing well weighs in. You always dress as the culture of that jobs needs you to dress. Acting professional and dressing professional are not always the same. Now, I'm not saying to go in wearing your pants around your ankle with a baseball cap (unless you applying to be a rapper or a fluffer). You can go to the business before the interview and check out the workers there, aim to dress like the best dressed worker.

Be presentable you don't have to be dressed professional.

geebusuk

I don't think 'aim to dress like the best dressed' is appropriate for an interview.
To start with, you may not have seen decision makers in the back.

I WOULD expect to go dressed up in a full suit to anything where you're expected to look presentable in your job.

To show that you can look better than you're expected to daily, rather than to show that the best you can possibly do (and at interview you are expected to be presenting yourself in the best possible manner) is to merely meet standards.

if it's something like a mechanics or labouring job, then being too formally dressed may be a negative, but I can't see that for most places.

Slacker16

I WOULD expect to go dressed up in a full suit to anything where you're expected to look presentable in your job.

I currently work in academia/research. I don't believe I've ever worn anything other than jeans and a t-shirt while teaching, and the fanciest thing I've ever seen anyone wearing was a shirt and slacks. In undergrad, I had a professor who wore flip-flops...

My point is that "presentable" is very lax. Higher education is an extreme example, but there's plenty of businesses who have a wide interpretation of the term "business casual". I've found that e-mailing HR before an interview to ask them what the general dress code was like is quite acceptable.

The NMW in UK for under 18`s is £3.72 per hour. I was offering £5.80 plus bonuses and incentives and seeking someone that was not required to have qualifications.

Your original post stated "a little above minimum wage" so I assumed along the lines of 1.1x min, not 1.6x min. I'll withdraw my earlier comment, this is a fairly attractive offer. Strange that you didn't have more success with it.

twinketta

If the applicant were between 18 and 20 then the NMW for 2013 is £5.03, so my offer would have only been a little over for someone of that age.

As the young person who is going to start is 17 years old then it is a lot more of an attractive salary for that age.

igotabulletproofheart

Oh my god, are you kidding me?! That many people actually do that?! If I even got just one chance at an interview I'd cry rivers of happiness and drop the world for it because I've been applying for job after job after job since the beginning of July and haven't been asked back for one interview.

To answer the question, most of the people in my generation don't. I'm 18, just started uni and am desperately looking for a job. I heard on the radio the other day that 80ish% of uni students or young adults in general just don't want to work out of pure laziness. The few who do actually want to work are quite rare.

__Di__

Oh my god, are you kidding me?! That many people actually do that?! If I even got just one chance at an interview I'd cry rivers of happiness and drop the world for it because I've been applying for job after job after job since the beginning of July and haven't been asked back for one interview.

To answer the question, most of the people in my generation don't. I'm 18, just started uni and am desperately looking for a job. I heard on the radio the other day that 80ish% of uni students or young adults in general just don't want to work out of pure laziness. The few who do actually want to work are quite rare.

I am so sorry that has happened to you, it is so disappointing, but please don't give up.

Really keeping fingers crossed for you that something crops up very soon.

SummerNights32

I am very fortunate in that I have a business that is relatively successful in the UK

This last few weeks I have been holding interviews to fill a position..the wage is only slightly above minimum wage, but, it is a little above.

I am looking to train this person up into a better skill.

I have not been looking for a rocket scientist or brain surgeon, just someone that would seem to have reliability and some work ethic.

5 people never bothered to turn up for the interviews...3 were late... 1 had the mother phone up to make an excuse.. a few people turned up wearing jeans....2 people actually told me they had to come for the interviews or they would lose their entitlement to social security benefits...

I was hoping to try to help someone from benefits into the workplace. Is it that young adults do not want to work?

Firstly, that is a really rude and sweeping statement. Sure there are people who don't want to work, but they range from the age of entiltement to benefits through to state pension age - it is not purely a 'young person' problem.

Do you know why those 5 people didn't turn up? Personal problems, finding other work etc. It isn't always as clear cut as "they can't be bothered".
Did you ask why those 3 were late?
Did you just automatically assume that person's mother was making an excuse?
Did you wonder why those people couldn't afford to get proper interview clothes, or why they never had help in interview prepping?

Maybe the problem isn't those people, but yourself in not asking, or for outside factors not preparing them for such environments.

Plus, most unemployed 'young' people I know aren't looking for training - most of them already have qualifications from college or univerisity and want to do something in that field, something they will enjoy and will make them happy. Yes, it is easier to find work while in employment, but not a lot of people want to join a company and do something they won't enjoy in the hopes of finding something better.

LOL. way to go. you have just epitomized everything that is wrong with our generation. blame everyone and take no responsibility for your actions.

LoL seriously...I agree. People need to learn to take responsibility for their actions.

VeganLexi

Oh my god, are you kidding me?! That many people actually do that?! If I even got just one chance at an interview I'd cry rivers of happiness and drop the world for it because I've been applying for job after job after job since the beginning of July and haven't been asked back for one interview.

To answer the question, most of the people in my generation don't. I'm 18, just started uni and am desperately looking for a job. I heard on the radio the other day that 80ish% of uni students or young adults in general just don't want to work out of pure laziness. The few who do actually want to work are quite rare.

Have you considered going through a recruitment agency? They might be able to sort you out with a part time job.

Good luck! :flowerforyou: keep positive.