UK dad and mom having to desert plans to retire as jobless youngsters ‘dwell at dwelling value free’ (Image: Getty)
British dad and mom should delay their retirements to fund their grownup youngsters residing at dwelling, an ex-minister has warned. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) discovered that greater than half of younger individuals of their early twenties lived with their dad and mom, as they face a difficult job market and skyrocketing residing prices.
The price amongst 25- to 34-year-olds has additionally risen over the previous decade, from 13% to 18% between 2006 and 2024. Alan Milburn, who’s main a authorities assessment into youth unemployment, stated that the growing quantity is placing a pressure on dad and mom, who he stated “are entitled to a life as well”.
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He advised The Times: “Official figures on Neets mask a family support system that is on the brink. Too many parents are becoming the invisible welfare state. They are financing adult children and often absorbing their mental health crises at the same time. They are the unwitting victims of this Neet crisis.”
Mr Milburn stated younger individuals’s residing conditions have been one among necessity, not need, confronted with a scarcity of alternatives.
The variety of younger individuals not in employment, schooling, or coaching (Neets) is now near one million, in line with figures from the Labour Force Survey. Many younger individuals are going through an extremely difficult job market, skyrocketing home costs, with many reporting having utilized to a whole lot of jobs to no avail.
“They want to be able to work and get on in life but the opportunities available for them are not as good as they should be.”
He said it meant that for at least for some parents, retirement “must be deferred” and it was “placing lives on maintain”.
Young Neets are a key focus in Government. At Labour’s annual conference in September, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that every young person who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without “earning or learning” would be offered a guaranteed paid work placement.
It followed a “Youth Guarantee”, announced last November, which promised every 18 to 21-year-old in England access to an apprenticeship, training, education opportunities or help to find a job.
Rachel Reeves announced a ‘Youth Guarantee’ scheme last November (Image: Getty)
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden said the government wanted to make sure “each younger individual has the possibility to succeed, regardless of the place they’re from or what their background is”.
Figures also showed the number of young people claiming unemployment benefits soared across most of the UK since Labour came to power, despite the overall number of claimants falling.
In October, there were 323,000 young adult claimants aged 18 to 24, which was 37,000 more than at the last election in July 2024. Some people claiming these benefits may actually be in work, but earning below the threshold.
It has increased drastically since before the pandemic, too. There were 89,000 more young people claiming unemployment-related benefits than the month before COVID.
Ken James, Director at Contractor Mortgage Services, warned that the impact of youth unemployment spreads to every aspect of a young person’s life.
“It results in a lack of construction, declining self-belief, psychological well being pressure, and long-term inactivity. This isn’t about creating extra vacancies, it’s about clear pathways, mentorship, and visual position fashions.”
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https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2176387/uk-parents-abandon-retirement-youth-unemployment