HR Heads

Much has been written recently about rising unemployment and in particular, rising youth unemployment now sitting at more than 1m. It has been on our radar for the past 6 months and we are actively including it in our strategic planning to see how we as a business can have an impact locally. It was therefore with great interest that I read David Smiths column in the Times on Sunday (page 4, Business Section). He pointed out that Youth Unemployment rose by nearly 200,000 between 2001 and 2007, when the economy was growing and in a strong position. How is it that this has not been focused on? David highlights that young people are suffering from a structural problem, losing out in competition with migrant workers but also hurt by the minimum wage, high employment and training costs, and mismatches between their skills and what organisations are looking for. This is not in other words a short term problem. Employers need more incentive to take them on and it remains to be seen whether the autunm statement on November 29th will offer one. We wait with baited breath….

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