25 April 2019

People who grew up in disadvantaged households are twice as likely to be unemployed between the ages of 18 and 24, even if they have comparable qualifications to their more privileged peers.

This is the finding of a new study by charity Impetus and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR). The Youth Jobs Gap report found that young adults from lower socio-economic backgrounds were 50% more likely to be classified as a NEET (not in education, employment or training).

However, this trend did not present in the same way nationally, with some areas of the country offering better opportunities for progression than others.

London had achieved the narrowest jobs 'gap' between advantaged and disadvantaged young adults, while less privileged people in the North East were the most likely of their demographic to fall behind their peers.

The researchers recommended that providing high-quality education is not enough to lift people out of poverty and that more needs to be done to help disadvantaged youth into jobs.

In our influential Manifesto for Labour Law, the Institute of Employment Rights recommends that socio-economic background is added to the list of 'protected characteristics' in the Equality Act 2010 to prevent discrimination against people from a disadvantaged background. We also propose that public sector organisations have a duty to consider ways to close the gap between socio-economic demographics when they make policy or take other actions.

Click here for more on our Manifesto