Thousands of care leavers in England ‘locked out’ of work as firms slow to adapt | UK unemployment and employment statistics
Thousands of young care leavers in England are being “left out of work” by employers who say they are open to hiring but make little change to accommodate, a charity has warned.
Care leavers are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than their peers, said the Drive Forward Foundation, which is urging employers to deliver on their promises.
As ministers seek to tackle the youth employment crisis, the charity which helps care leavers find work said the employment gap remains “stubbornly consistent” despite a decade of youth employment initiatives.
figures Office for National Statistics It shows that 40% of care-experienced people aged 19 to 21 are not in employment, education or training (Neet), compared to 12.7% of their non-care-experienced peers.
The total number of young people aged 16 to 24 who are NEET has risen to almost 1 million across the UK; This is the highest level in more than a decade.
The government is fighting to reduce youth unemployment with promises to reform benefits and provide subsidies to encourage employers to hire young adults.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden announced a £1bn youth jobs plan last week. Companies will receive a grant of £3,000 per hire of a person aged 18 to 24 who is on benefits and has been looking for work for at least six months. Ministers also paved the way for a slower increase in the minimum wage for young workers.
But Drive Forward’s report highlighted that although many employers say they want to help young people leave care, they often make little change to their recruitment processes.
A survey of 500 employers commissioned by the charity found that although more than 80% said they would consider hiring young people with care experience, relatively few employers had adapted their recruitment processes to account for non-linear work histories or gaps in CVs.
Almost half of employers said they had never adjusted job descriptions or recruitment language to remove unnecessary barriers, and a quarter reported there were no specific measures in place to support the entry of care-experienced candidates.
Russell Winnard, CEO of the Drive Forward Foundation, said: “Care experienced young people are often judged based on assumptions that do not reflect the realities they live. When recruitment systems are not designed with this in mind, talented and motivated people are eliminated before they ever get a chance.”
In response to its findings, the charity said it would publish a new toolkit to help employers looking to improve access to work for care leavers.
Drive Forward has partnerships with more than 40 employers working to employ young people with care experience, including John Lewis, Camden Council, Salad Kitchen, the utility, Candyspace and the Crown Estate.
Winnard said: “Employers who have adopted their practices have generally achieved strong results. When businesses adopt a more flexible and informed approach, they are not only changing outcomes for young people, they are also strengthening their own workforce.”
A government spokesman said: “We are committed to ensuring every young person has the opportunity to earn or learn. We are providing targeted support for care leavers, including access to higher housing allowance rates up to age 25 and personalized Jobcentre Plus support.
“Our latest major intervention will help create 200,000 jobs for young people, totaling around £1 billion. The wider support package totaling £2.5 billion will support almost 1 million young people and help provide up to 500,000 earning and learning opportunities.”
