‘Hundreds of job applications’: young people on their struggle to find work | Unemployment

Catherina, 24, from Brighton

When Catherina graduated from a degree in digital film production in London, she thought she had good chances of finding a job, but found the job market challenging.

“I was leaving university with great expectations and hope, but then I was faced with a very competitive industry,” he said. “I always got no response.”

He has produced several short films shown at festivals and occasionally worked as a runner on film and TV productions; this job was often viewed as the first rung on the industry ladder. But finding more than that proved difficult.

He said he believed that if he worked, he would get rewarded. “’It was work ethic, hustle and it will pay off one day.’”

He said he was “lucky” to be able to live with his family while he looked for a permanent job, but he would “love” to have his own income.

“Looking to the future makes me anxious,” he said, adding that he finds solace in his Christian faith and the support of his church community. “I feel a lot of compassion when someone is going through something alone,” he said.

He also benefited from coaching from Spear, a youth employment charity. This gave him a year of one-on-one advice and preparation and helped him maintain hope in finding the right job.

“It helped me face these mental, practical and emotional struggles head on,” she said.

Olivia*, 24, in Essex

After months of struggling with epileptic seizures at work, Olivia decided to leave her job in retail. He thought his employer had failed to make reasonable adjustments required under equality legislation.

He said his seizures were triggered by dehydration and fatigue, both of which are major risks when working in a fast-paced environment and especially when the store is short-staffed.

He believes the government should increase guidance on the rights of disabled people and employers on their obligations.

“A lot of companies want diversity, but I don’t think they’re equipped to support people with disabilities,” she said. “This isn’t a pity party, but it’s an understanding that more people need to have.”

He finds the grind of not hearing back on job applications since leaving this year demoralizing. He said he was “trying to motivate myself and do it again every time there was a knock on the door.”

Financial support to stay in business would have been helpful. But his epilepsy was not considered serious enough to qualify for any help, so he had to go to work when he was sick, increasing his risk of seizures.

“It would definitely happen [helped]“Not taking enough sick days, forcing myself to go to the hospital, takes a huge toll.”

She received help from the Young Women’s Foundation with her CV and interview preparation. Kate Nightingale, the charity’s director of communications, campaigns and research, said: “The Milburn report is clear. The labor market is failing young people, and increasingly young women. This isn’t about a generation giving up, it’s about opportunities disappearing.”

“More young women are missing out on work or education than in the last decade, despite being actively looking for work.”

Giovanna, 24, in London

Giovanna had to deal with a number of challenges as she progressed through education and tried to find employment. He left his father’s home at 16 and studied for A-levels while living in a boarding house in London. But she managed to get into university to study psychology and juggle the bureaucracy of finding permanent accommodation.

At university and after graduating, he worked a series of temporary jobs in the hospitality industry, but establishing a more permanent business proved challenging. She sent out numerous applications but no one responded, and she couldn’t afford to take time off from her jobs at cafes or bars to attend unpaid internships or application events. Failure to make ends meet could jeopardize his stay.

“I can’t make such a stupid mistake,” he said. “When I finished college, I felt really behind in the game. I thought: What am I supposed to do?”

She was eventually referred to the Drive Forward Foundation, a charity that helps care leavers get into work. Some of the most valuable help offered, he said, was “basic things that you would kind of know if you came from a ‘typical’ family,” such as how to prepare a CV and how to answer interview questions.

After more than two years of trying to find something, Giovanna’s government-appointed personal advisor suggested civil service. He said he has now begun a nine-month training plan and “I hope it will be the start of a long career.”

Russell Winnard, chief executive of the Drive Forward Foundation, said the key to helping care leavers find work was building a trusting relationship and providing support on a number of fronts to help them find a suitable role. He said programs to get people back to work often focus on “how do we get them into the first job possible? That’s not sustainable.”

Joseph, 21, in Glasgow

Joseph grew up in a “working-class family” in a small town near Sunderland. He was entitled to free school meals in primary school.

His family scraped together enough money to study musical theater for a year after he left school, but he had to look for work after completing his studies. “It was incredibly difficult to find a job,” he said. “We’re talking hundreds and hundreds of job applications.”

He eventually found a job at a supermarket but felt forced to leave because the employees were “picking his bones”. He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. For many autistic people, “the atmosphere of working in these startup jobs is too much for them — and it was for me too,” he said. He eventually decided to move to Glasgow after being offered a job at a call centre, where demands continued to grow without a parallel increase in pay or support.

A combination of stress and adjusting to his neurodiversity led him to quit his job, and he was unable to work for several months. “It’s a never-ending cycle where the only lifestyle support employers provide is short-term workplace counselling, which isn’t very helpful,” he said. “I had to resign and take on all responsibilities to return to normal.”

Eventually, he was able to begin a degree apprenticeship by combining his education with work at a software engineering firm. But even now the weak labor market is having an impact due to layoffs in businesses and the lack of a guarantee of employment once the course is finished. “It seems like there is no more room to breathe in the technology space,” he said.

* Name changed