14% of young people struggle to get on career ladder

With the latest ONS data revealing that 14% of young people are currently out of work, a recent survey has found that more than three-quarters (78%) of 16–24-year-olds say they find the job hunting process challenging.

The survey, conducted by totaljobs as part of its #MillionPoundJamie campaign, showed that the biggest struggles the age group face include standing out from the crowd and securing that all important interview (27%), as well as the application process itself (13%).

The data also shows that there are plenty of reasons for jobseekers to be positive, with job postings on the website up 19% year-on-year (YoY) in August, as the jobs market continues to thrive post-Brexit.

At a time of year when young people are traditionally moving from education to the world of work for the first time, the growth in vacancies will come as welcome news. Not only were job vacancies up 19% YoY, but they were also up 2% in the three months to August, compared to the three months prior.

However, the number of applications are also soaring – up 22% YoY – with the number of applications per job up 3%, showing increased competition for each job.

For young people looking to secure a new role, getting noticed has never been more important. More than a third (37%) of jobseekers aged 16–24 said they could benefit from more relevant work experience and 23% would like guidance on refreshing their CV to make sure it stands out. A fifth (21%) of young people say help in prepping for interview questions is the advice they would most like to receive.

John Salt, Group Sales Director, totaljobs, said: “The growth of jobs posted on totaljobs is a clear and positive sign that employers are confident about recruiting in the post-Brexit world. What’s concerning is that so young people have told us they are facing challenges finding a job they love. Our research found that many have job-hunting fears, and this could be holding them back from finding work, adding to the high youth unemployment rate.

“On totaljobs, jobseekers can find a whole range of helpful guidance and handy tips from industry experts to help them find the job they love: http://www.totaljobs.com/get-you-noticed/jamie.”