Do young adults in the UK not want to work?

SteveJWatson

The NMW is £6.19 at present for 21+ and £4.98 for 18-20. For a 40 hour week that's just under a grand a month.
With a personal tax free allowance of just under 10k per annum you'll be paying naff all in tax.

Yes that doesn't finance a millionaire's lifestyle, you might not be able to afford to run a car, you might not be able to party all the time and you might have to (God forbid) share accommodation, but it's not "poverty line"!

Firstly, the tax threshold has just changed - it used to be £4.5K, so until recently you would have been paying tax...You couldn't afford to feed yourself after you had paid your rent on that money round here. I doubt you could get a place in an house of multiple occupancy for less than £650/month in the south of England (London, I reckon £850 for a ****hole, minimum), council tax would be another £50odd/month minimum, add electric, water, telephone (maybe another £100 or so)....this is leaving you £300 a month (£75/week) to feed, clothe and get yourself to and from work.....And thats even before something unexpected happens like your washing machine breaks down....

MsPudding

Firstly, the tax threshold has just changed - it used to be £4.5K, so until recently you would have been paying tax...You couldn't afford to feed yourself after you had paid your rent on that money round here. I doubt you could get a place in an house of multiple occupancy for less than £650/month in the south of England (London, I reckon £850 for a ****hole, minimum), council tax would be another £50odd/month minimum, add electric, water, telephone (maybe another £100 or so)....this is leaving you £300 a month (£75/week) to feed, clothe and get yourself to and from work.....And thats even before something unexpected happens like your washing machine breaks down....

People on NMW get benefit top-ups so they're not surviving on their wage alone.

NMW = £6.19ph which on a full-time job is a gross annual income of £12,070 and on current tax levels is an annual take-home income of £11,026.

They also qualify for a small amount of universal tax credit and some working tax credit. If they have a child then they can add approximately another £6,000 a year from the Government to top-up their national minimum wage.

CollieFit

Funny there is just always an excuse...

A friend of mine manages a large hotel in Cardiff. He relies on a steady influx of largely unskilled manual labour for room cleaning and restaurant staff. The training is provided on the job, all that's required when you arrive is a nice attitude, a decent work ethic, smartish appearance and pleasant communication skills with customers. The pay for many of those jobs is perhaps a quid above NMW but there is always plenty of overtime going.

His staff retention with a lot of British young people is dreadful. Coming in late, looking scruffy / not washed their uniforms, being rude to customers, not doing the actual work to satisfaction... He constantly goes on about the huge attitude problems he's having to deal with and how they're never available to stay an extra hour if there is an emergency or staff sickness.

And here comes Eastern European migration... The hotel is full of Czech, Polish and Lithuanian girls and they work HARD. He is full of praise for them because they are always polite (and their English is very good), take pride in their appearance, they are great workers, good team players, always there when you're desperate for someone to do an extra shift. They share flats locally and more than make ends meet financially as many manage to send money home to poorer relatives, and they don't have parents over here to pay for this that and the other.

How come they can manage?

darrensurrey

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.

Is it that young adults do not want to work?

Only just noticed the thread. Unbelievable, isn't it. Sounds like the job is perfect for a school leaver. Not only are you paying them better than you are required to by law but you're offering training which means they will have potential to earn more.

Hopefully you will find someone who deserves to have the job. As for the rest, nothing motivates like a deadline. Perhaps they only get 6 months' worth of benefits and they have to work for 6 months. So even if want to be a professional benefits claimant, they'll have to work for half their "career".

anemoneprose

Funny there is just always an excuse...

A friend of mine manages a large hotel in Cardiff. He relies on a steady influx of largely unskilled manual labour for room cleaning and restaurant staff. The training is provided on the job, all that's required when you arrive is a nice attitude, a decent work ethic, smartish appearance and pleasant communication skills with cutomers. The pay for many of those jobs is perhaps a quid above NMW but there is always plenty of overtime going.

His staff retention with a lot of British young people is dreadful. Coming in late, looking scruffy / not washed their uniforms, being rude to customers, not doing the actual work to satisfaction... He constantly goes on about the huge attitude problems he's having to deal with and how they're never available to stay an extra hour if there is an emergency or staff sickness.

And here comes Eastern European migration... The hotel is full of Czech, Polish and Lithuanian girls and they work HARD. He is full of praise for them because they are always polite (and their English is very good), take pride in their appearance, they are great workers, good team players, always there when you're desperate for someone to do an extra shift. They share flats locally and more than make ends meet financially as many manage to send money home to poorer relatives, and they don't have parents over here to pay for this that and the other.

How come they can manage?

I don't know, what do you think is the difference? How is it possible that individual Poles or Lithuanians accidentally, en masse, demonstrate the praiseworthy work ethic, and that the kids in Cardiff, individually and in aggregate, are 'lazy'?

The Eastern European girls who speak English so brilliantly were very likely well educated in their home countries, and are serving in Wales, why?

And who are the local kids in Cardiff applying for these jobs? What are their peers doing?

deadbeatsummer

I hate this thread it's completely ageist and everything that sets back my generation in the workplace.
F U

twinketta

The NMW is £6.19 at present for 21+ and £4.98 for 18-20. For a 40 hour week that's just under a grand a month.
With a personal tax free allowance of just under 10k per annum you'll be paying naff all in tax.

Yes that doesn't finance a millionaire's lifestyle, you might not be able to afford to run a car, you might not be able to party all the time and you might have to (God forbid) share accommodation, but it's not "poverty line"!

Firstly, the tax threshold has just changed - it used to be £4.5K, so until recently you would have been paying tax...You couldn't afford to feed yourself after you had paid your rent on that money round here. I doubt you could get a place in an house of multiple occupancy for less than £650/month in the south of England (London, I reckon £850 for a ****hole, minimum), council tax would be another £50odd/month minimum, add electric, water, telephone (maybe another £100 or so)....this is leaving you £300 a month (£75/week) to feed, clothe and get yourself to and from work.....And thats even before something unexpected happens like your washing machine breaks down....

The tax threshold has not just changed from £4.5k?

2011-12 it was £7475
2012 - 13 £8105
2013-14 £9440

I live in an area of the UK that has just been reported to have the highest number of benefit claimants in the country.

So either jobs are scarce or people do not want to work.

OK, so I am only able to offer a little above NMW. But the person I will employ will be working alongside a qualified engineer and learning on the job engineering skills. They will also be funded through a driving course so they can drive a company vehicle. I would also be happy for them to attend any courses relevant to the job at my expense whilst also being paid their salary.

My point about wearing appropriate clothing to attend the interview is because the person will be required to wear a uniform with the company name on it. So, making an effort to look smart, for an interview makes me feel that they care about their appearance and this would reflect the company appearance when they are visiting customers.

I could offer an apprenticeship, but this would be even less than NMW. I could also employ foreign labour and receive Gov assistance.

It is not about being a benevolent employer it is the simple fact that I am looking to find a suitable person to fill a vacancy. I am asking why people who arrange an interview via a job agency. (Not with me personally, at this stage) Why do they then not bother to turn up/turn up late/dress like they would to go out with friends?

grrrlface

I'm 23, been technically unemployed for almost a year. I am in a college salon one day a week hairdressing and I volunteer at a school one afternoon a week and assist in running their art club.

I have drive, I have ambition, I'm smart in appearance and intelligent. I have good references. I work and stress my butt off trying to find a job so I can save up a decent amount of money to move out from my parents and start my own life!

I think people feel so negatively towards young people and I've lost out to jobs to much older people on many occasions in this past year.

There are some of us who do want to work and work to the best of our ability (and more!) but sometimes we get overlooked. Or at least that's how I feel.

I've applied for jobs from cleaners, waiting staff to shop assistants, hair salons, even supervisors (even though I'm no where near experienced!)

I'm becoming downhearted with the whole situation, I don't get benefits because of the volunteering and other things I do so I have no income (the Job Centre told me to give those up but they're my experience and references until ANY job comes up!)

twinketta

I hate this thread it's completely ageist and everything that sets back my generation in the workplace.
F U

Classy. If you are going to reply then why not offer a more constructive opinion about your generation and the workplace to help us understand how it sets you back?

twinketta

I'm 23, been technically unemployed for almost a year. I am in a college salon one day a week hairdressing and I volunteer at a school one afternoon a week and assist in running their art club.

I have drive, I have ambition, I'm smart in appearance and intelligent. I have good references. I work and stress my butt off trying to find a job so I can save up a decent amount of money to move out from my parents and start my own life!

I think people feel so negatively towards young people and I've lost out to jobs to much older people on many occasions in this past year.

There are some of us who do want to work and work to the best of our ability (and more!) but sometimes we get overlooked. Or at least that's how I feel.

I've applied for jobs from cleaners, waiting staff to shop assistants, hair salons, even supervisors (even though I'm no where near experienced!)

I'm becoming downhearted with the whole situation, I don't get benefits because of the volunteering and other things I do so I have no income (the Job Centre told me to give those up but they're my experience and references until ANY job comes up!)

All, I can say is just keep trying with the job applications. My son sent 100`s of CV`s and attended lots of interviews and eventually got hired for a really good position.

Well done for keeping motivated with everything you are doing at the moment x

grrrlface

I'm 23, been technically unemployed for almost a year. I am in a college salon one day a week hairdressing and I volunteer at a school one afternoon a week and assist in running their art club.

I have drive, I have ambition, I'm smart in appearance and intelligent. I have good references. I work and stress my butt off trying to find a job so I can save up a decent amount of money to move out from my parents and start my own life!

I think people feel so negatively towards young people and I've lost out to jobs to much older people on many occasions in this past year.

There are some of us who do want to work and work to the best of our ability (and more!) but sometimes we get overlooked. Or at least that's how I feel.

I've applied for jobs from cleaners, waiting staff to shop assistants, hair salons, even supervisors (even though I'm no where near experienced!)

I'm becoming downhearted with the whole situation, I don't get benefits because of the volunteering and other things I do so I have no income (the Job Centre told me to give those up but they're my experience and references until ANY job comes up!)

All, I can say is just keep trying with the job applications. My son sent 100`s of CV`s and attended lots of interviews and eventually got hired for a really good position.

Well done for keeping motivated with everything you are doing at the moment x

Thank you

It's all I can do!
It's so easy to give up but then that gets you no where. And that's the main reason I kept my two little 'jobs' that I do every week because I think if I didn't have those then it would be so easy to give up!

I'm currently waiting to hear from a job so *fingers crossed* I get good news!
It's 5am starts, definitely not my ideal but when you're in a position like mine you don't hesitate to even apply for these jobs! x

ldnmaggie

Some people here are SO stereotypical. EVERY young person i know is looking searching hard for a job. DAY in DAY out. Some have a job, go to college and straight after work for 5 pounds an hour till 10pm. Day in day out. Some of them are workig 4 pounds an hour.. And you say we do not want to work? I'm sorry you have been so unfortunate in meeting the minority which do not want to work. There simply is NO jobs.
I work from 7am- 2pm and 2pm-8pm for NOTHING. (And they are just half day shifts. It's meant to be 8am-8pm with a 30 minute break)

CollieFit

Funny there is just always an excuse...

A friend of mine manages a large hotel in Cardiff. He relies on a steady influx of largely unskilled manual labour for room cleaning and restaurant staff. The training is provided on the job, all that's required when you arrive is a nice attitude, a decent work ethic, smartish appearance and pleasant communication skills with cutomers. The pay for many of those jobs is perhaps a quid above NMW but there is always plenty of overtime going.

His staff retention with a lot of British young people is dreadful. Coming in late, looking scruffy / not washed their uniforms, being rude to customers, not doing the actual work to satisfaction... He constantly goes on about the huge attitude problems he's having to deal with and how they're never available to stay an extra hour if there is an emergency or staff sickness.

And here comes Eastern European migration... The hotel is full of Czech, Polish and Lithuanian girls and they work HARD. He is full of praise for them because they are always polite (and their English is very good), take pride in their appearance, they are great workers, good team players, always there when you're desperate for someone to do an extra shift. They share flats locally and more than make ends meet financially as many manage to send money home to poorer relatives, and they don't have parents over here to pay for this that and the other.

How come they can manage?

I don't know, what do you think is the difference? How is it possible that individual Poles or Lithuanians accidentally, en masse, demonstrate the praiseworthy work ethic, and that the kids in Cardiff, individually and in aggregate, are 'lazy'?

The Eastern European girls who speak English so brilliantly were very likely well educated in their home countries, and are serving in Wales, why?

And who are the local kids in Cardiff applying for these jobs? What are their peers doing?

I don't know what makes the crucial difference.

Maybe they have less of a sense of entitlement and are happy to do anything to better their lives?
Maybe they are particularly driven? I guess a 20 year old who has bothered to learn to speak a foreign language which such fluency that they can efficiently run a busy reception desk of a 5* hotel was probably not bad at school? Maybe they are just quite gutsy and "get up and go" and don't think being a chambermaid is beneath them, considering they moved to a foreign country to do the work. I dunno.

What I know is it irritates me when I hear this underhand racism towards them in Wales, you know the type "they come 'ere an take our jobz" etc. Looking at it from an employer's perspective I know who I would rather have working for me if your business has a reputation to uphold.

Cardiff has quite a young population, due to its 3 Universities. We also have a considerable number of NEETs.

HealthyVitamins

I think it also largely depends on how you've been brought up.

I started work at 17, full time, horrible jobs that I hated but I still worked with a smile and got my salary to pay my bills. If I had sat on my *kitten* accepting benefits my parents would be so ashamed and disappointed in me - It's just not how I or they were raised. I even had a job on a milk round when I was 13 to EARN pocket money, I wasn't given a penny, I had to work for it.

There are a lot of youth these days who don't want to work simply because they have not been raised with that sense of pride, or of course, because they are better off having 4 children and being on benefits than being in full time employment.

deadbeatsummer

I hate this thread it's completely ageist and everything that sets back my generation in the workplace.
F U

Classy. If you are going to reply then why not offer a more constructive opinion about your generation and the workplace to help us understand how it sets you back?

What's so classy about tarring all young people in the UK with the same brush and calling them lazy?

I don't see why exactly we should have to prove over and over that we are worth something to people like you who clearly have the wrong attitude. There are barely any spaces in today's job market for a real career for young people.

If you want to make a real career for yourself, despite working in any job you can get your hands on as soon as you are able to work, despite excellent GCSEs, A-Levels and a Degree, we now are expected to work for free, slave labour for a year until we are even allowed to have a half respectable job making a cup of tea and wiping the boss' *kitten* at a decent company. Do you know what that means? Rich parents to support you and a bit of 'who you know'. Or just work in a call centre.

It's so dissapointing, and what makes it worse is how you are promised the world at school and university. Genuinely I was told time and time again, if I work hard, get a good degree I can do whatever I want. I really didn't doubt for a second that I wouldn't have any problem walking out of university and then walking into a journalism internship leading to a job. Instead I've been a temp admin assistant and data entry clerk for 2 years. I'm trying to get out of administration now, but it is near impossible. I'm being turned down for roles in admin, as they want 'someone with at least 10 years experience in admin'.. Do you see anything wrong with that? Basically they don't want someone who is under 30 working for them. How would it feel if everyone barred people over 30 from getting into work. But wait, that wouldn't happen because it was easier to get a job then, you've already got the positions and your bum imprint is firmly pressed into that office chair.

There are 1 million unemployed young people in the UK. It is depressing and frustrating, and the fact that we have a massively ageing population and people are retiring later means that it is the older generation who take up the spaces in the work place, making it hard for anyone in this generation to get a look in. Did you know that in 2017, the amount of people in this country who are 15 - 19 years old will drop by 7.1%? That is massive.

I think you need to educate yourself on the massive issue in this country, the devastating effect it will have on the baby boomer leeches and the fact that we have created a lost generation, before you add to the situation with your bad attitude.

ETA: Before you accuse me of having an entitled attitude, I have worked my *kitten* off on the shop floor after school from the age of 16 until I finished my degree at 21 as well as caring for my mum who was ill whilst I was doing my degree away from home. My usual record of unemployment is 2 weeks until I have found a job until this time. I have come back from Australia 1 month ago (working out there and travelling for 9 months) and am having such a hard time getting a job and all I get is messed around by interviewers and agencies it's beyond disgusting. I'm slipping into depression because of it. And for the record I have never claimed benefits, my dad would be mortified, I come from a very hard grafting working class family.

luciebam88

I'm 25 and have had a job since the age of 15. I have never been out of full time work, well apart from my first job at 15 which was part time! Worked my way up the ladder in the catering industry from washing up in a restaurant to reception manager in a hotel and currently I am a medical secretary. The only qualifications I have are my GCSE's.

There are young adults out there who want work, unfortunately the minority can sometimes cloud opinion as they are the only ones who you hear about through media etc.

CollieFit

I think it also largely depends on how you've been brought up.

I started work at 17, full time, horrible jobs that I hated but I still worked with a smile and got my salary to pay my bills. If I had sat on my *kitten* accepting benefits my parents would be so ashamed and disappointed in me - It's just not how I or they were raised. I even had a job on a milk round when I was 13 to EARN pocket money, I wasn't given a penny, I had to work for it.

There are a lot of youth these days who don't want to work simply because they have not been raised with that sense of pride, or of course, because they are better off having 4 children and being on benefits than being in full time employment.

I think that's at the crux of it.

Most NEETs come from generations of non-working households. That poverty of ambition is the norm.

My parents left school without qualifications. Dad drove articulated lorries and mum worked in a factory. I don't think it was their dream job but it put a roof over our heads and food on the table. I did many rubbish jobs as a young person including night shifts in a newspaper printing factory to support myself through University, but that's just what it took. My parents were uneducated, unqualified but had a good work ethic. Maybe that makes the difference.

Frankii_x

I have worked since I was 16, I actually started my first job on my 16th birthday. I work full time and have recently bought my first house with my boyfriend who also has managed to hold down a job since he was 16 and works full time. We both work in jobs that help the public and we both pay our taxes. We are both 24 years old.

Why do people feel the need to make sweeping comments about 'young adults in the UK'. There are, of course, people who do not have a work ethic, but there are far more young adults who do. I also wish to highlight who brought up this generation that people are so quick to make judgments on. We did not bring ourselves up! Every adult needs to take responsibility for their actions (both positive and negative), including the people you are referring to and parents of our generation.

Lifelink

There are young adults out there who want work, unfortunately the minority can sometimes cloud opinion as they are the only ones who you hear about through media etc.

I also wish to highlight who brought up this generation that people are so quick to make judgments on. We did not bring ourselves up! Every adult needs to take responsibility for their actions (both positive and negative), including the people you are referring to and parents of our generation.

It could also be that the job he/she has to offer is ****, thus why he/she has yet to mention what these young adults are turning down.

As far as the benefits situation, that's the lovely socialist movement everyone has wanted. Now you have to stew in it. America included.

SteveJWatson

I think it also largely depends on how you've been brought up.

I started work at 17, full time, horrible jobs that I hated but I still worked with a smile and got my salary to pay my bills. If I had sat on my *kitten* accepting benefits my parents would be so ashamed and disappointed in me - It's just not how I or they were raised. I even had a job on a milk round when I was 13 to EARN pocket money, I wasn't given a penny, I had to work for it.

There are a lot of youth these days who don't want to work simply because they have not been raised with that sense of pride, or of course, because they are better off having 4 children and being on benefits than being in full time employment.

I think that's at the crux of it.

Most NEETs come from generations of non-working households. That poverty of ambition is the norm.

My parents left school without qualifications. Dad drove articulated lorries and mum worked in a factory. I don't think it was their dream job but it put a roof over our heads and food on the table. I did many rubbish jobs as a young person including night shifts in a newspaper printing factory to support myself through University, but that's just what it took. My parents were uneducated, unqualified but had a good work ethic. Maybe that makes the difference.

Except that its bollocks.

I have been out of work once in my adult life for two months. Do you know how hard it is to claim JSA? I had to go to Ringwood to sign on (thats about 8 miles away - my nearest bus would have been 3 miles away, so I would have had to walk three miles, get on 2 buses at a cost of over a fiver to start with if I didn't have a car.....) I went to sign on and I didn't get one single penny because I had informed them that my contract was ending on the monday, the previous wednesday so I had been *in work* at the time. This meant apparently that because of my forward planning, I wasn't entitled to anything that month.....the following month they were still querying my claim and I had to go back to the jobcentre a further three times (at a further cost of £15 if I hadn't got a car...). By the time I found work it was still ongoing and I wasn't entitled to back-claim because Id found work.....

Basically if I didn't already have a car and savings, I would have been stuffed - and I have been paying into the system all my life.