The Prince's Trust have just conducted a survey of 2,000 people youngsters between 16 and 25 and it showed 1 in 10 who had been out of work had turned to drugs or alcohol. Those not in education or training were twice as likely to suffer feelings of depression or isolation. 25% felt being jobless had caused arguments with parents and 15% felt their life lacked direction! 15%!! Between 16 and 24, the world should be a young person's oyster!
Recent figures show almost a million 16-25 year olds are unemployed and the fear is that this generation becomes a "lost generation" - their skills and talents are lost to the economy as the long term emotional issues result in them failing to reenter the job market.
I remember first hand the experience of being jobless. I moved back from London in 2003 at the age of 24 and for about 3 months I couldn't get a job. Initially I was full of motivation, spending a long time on individualised CV's and letters of application. Eventually, as the rejection letters piled up I started to just "Copy and Paste" my applications which further reduced my chances of getting a job. I started to spend longer and longer just watching daytime TV and doing nothing. Thankfully, I have a very supportive family and group of friends and they kept my spirits up until I got a job in a bank. However, in that short time I could see the damaging effect that unemployment could have on someone and the effect it has on your self-esteem. It is a vicious circle - the more rejections you get, the lower your confidence goes and the higher chance you have of getting the next job.
Let's hope that we don't lose this generation of young people to this fate.
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