The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has called for work placements subsidies for unemployed 16 and 17 year-olds.
The CIPD said the 'uphill struggle' facing GCSE school-leavers is exemplified in their latest quarterly CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook (LMO) of more than 900 employers.
The results show 16 to 18 year-olds are currently less likely to be hired than the long-term unemployed, with 24 per cent of employers planning to hire from this age group during the current quarter.
In contrast, almost two-thirds of employers are hiring from the 19-24 age category, with a similar proportion of employers planning to recruit older workers.
Gerwyn Davies, CIPD public policy adviser, believes a six-month work placement subsidy of £1,250 per person could offer 'vital help' for 30 per cent of 16 to 17 year-olds who have been unemployed for more than six months.
Mr Davies said: 'School-leavers seeking work this year face a difficult enough task finding an employer willing to take on young people, let alone find a job.
'These results suggest that government policy needs to be changed to give similar help to unemployed 16-17 year-olds as that which is given to other targeted unemployed groups. The September guarantee of a training or education place for young people is welcome but is unlikely to offer a full solution to the emerging youth unemployment and NEET crisis.
'The work placement subsidy would therefore be a useful addition to the armoury of measures targeted as mounting youth joblessness and go some way towards helping pressured companies do their bit for what is becoming a national crisis.'
CIPD say their figures consistent with the official figures from the Labour Force Survey, which show that 16-17 year-olds are suffering most of all in the jobs market.
More than 200,000 16-17 year olds – one in three – are now unemployed and actively seeking work. Most alarmingly, the number of 16-17 year-olds who have been unemployed for more than a year has increased by almost 100 per cent, to over 20,000 during the past year.
'Lack of experience' was found to be the main barrier to recruiting young people.
The CIPD said the 'uphill struggle' facing GCSE school-leavers is exemplified in their latest quarterly CIPD/KPMG Labour Market Outlook (LMO) of more than 900 employers.
The results show 16 to 18 year-olds are currently less likely to be hired than the long-term unemployed, with 24 per cent of employers planning to hire from this age group during the current quarter.
In contrast, almost two-thirds of employers are hiring from the 19-24 age category, with a similar proportion of employers planning to recruit older workers.
Gerwyn Davies, CIPD public policy adviser, believes a six-month work placement subsidy of £1,250 per person could offer 'vital help' for 30 per cent of 16 to 17 year-olds who have been unemployed for more than six months.
Mr Davies said: 'School-leavers seeking work this year face a difficult enough task finding an employer willing to take on young people, let alone find a job.
'These results suggest that government policy needs to be changed to give similar help to unemployed 16-17 year-olds as that which is given to other targeted unemployed groups. The September guarantee of a training or education place for young people is welcome but is unlikely to offer a full solution to the emerging youth unemployment and NEET crisis.
'The work placement subsidy would therefore be a useful addition to the armoury of measures targeted as mounting youth joblessness and go some way towards helping pressured companies do their bit for what is becoming a national crisis.'
CIPD say their figures consistent with the official figures from the Labour Force Survey, which show that 16-17 year-olds are suffering most of all in the jobs market.
More than 200,000 16-17 year olds – one in three – are now unemployed and actively seeking work. Most alarmingly, the number of 16-17 year-olds who have been unemployed for more than a year has increased by almost 100 per cent, to over 20,000 during the past year.
'Lack of experience' was found to be the main barrier to recruiting young people.
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