Key Highlights :
The number of young people unable to work due to ill health has doubled in the last decade to almost 200,000, according to a new report by the Resolution Foundation. This rise is linked to an escalating mental health crisis among teenagers, with mental health issues being the most common cause of young people being unable to work.
The report found that the number of 18-to-24 year olds who were out of work due to health issues had risen from 94,000 in 2012 to 185,000 in 2022. Mental health issues were cited as the reason for being unable to work by two thirds of those surveyed.
The findings are likely to fuel fears that Covid-19 lockdowns have had a significant impact on young people's mental health. Mental illness among teenagers and young people was already on the rise before the pandemic, but cases have accelerated during and since. NHS figures show that more than a quarter of 17-to-19 year olds had a probable mental health disorder by the end of 2022, compared to just a tenth in 2017. Among teenage girls, one in three suffer from some type of mental health issue.
The Resolution Foundation's economist Louise Murphy said that the prevalence of mental health problems among young people continued to rise, despite the end of lockdown restrictions. She said: “It is quite concerning for the future. This rise in mental health problems among young people does really now seem to be a continuous trend that is showing no signs of [abating].”
The report found that mental health issues were most prevalent among those with low education levels, with four in five out of work due to mental health problems having GSCE-level qualifications or below. Problems were also particularly severe in small towns and villages.
Ms Murphy said that it was the combination of poor health and poor education that was leaving some young people in smaller places particularly disadvantaged in the labour market. The Resolution Foundation urged policymakers to tackle this “double disadvantage” by boosting educational support and mental health access.
Patients currently face a postcode lottery for NHS mental health treatment, with average waiting times ranging from 13 days in Leicester to 80 in Sunderland. Four in five young people who are inactive for health reasons have been unemployed for at least two years.
Despite the uptick in the number of long-term sick, the overall youth unemployment rate has stayed remarkably low despite the pandemic. The figure currently stands at 10.5pc, which is around half the rate during the financial crisis.
It is clear that mental health issues are having a devastating effect on young people's ability to work. It is essential that policymakers take action to ensure that all young people have access to the mental health support they need. Without this, the number of young people unable to work due to ill health is likely to continue to rise.