Nearly half of young Brits say health issues will push them out of work. How can we cope without them?

Two in five young workers fear declining health could push them out of work despite Labour’s pledge to boost employment.

The government has promised to “back the next generation” with a series of youth employment initiatives. But a growing health crisis could derail that ambition, according to a new report.

Research from the Work Foundation at Lancaster University found that 43% of workers aged 16-24 expect their health to deteriorate within the next year – the most of any age group. The same proportion worry that this could ultimately push them out of the workforce.

These health challenges cast a long shadow, warns Work Foundation director Ben Harrison.

“Without additional support, we could see a new generation scarred by unemployment and economic inactivity in the early years of their working lives,” he told Big Issue. “This could have major implications for communities, employers and local economies across the UK.”

This potential youth exodus, Harrison added, is a “direct challenge” to government goals to grow the economy and lift living standards.

Why are so many young people out of work?

One in eight young people – around one million – are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). Almost half of these have never had a job.

Health is a leading factor. The proportion of NEETs citing long-term or temporary sickness has tripled since 2011, with ill health now accounting for a quarter of all youth worklessness.

Mental health issues are particularly pronounced. Between 1995 and 2019, the number of young men aged 18 to 29 with a common mental health disorder – such as anxiety or depression – jumped from 16% to 25%. Among young women, it rose from 30% to 37%.

Eli, a former youth worker, used to work with young people whose mental health was a barrier to employment. Now, they themselves have been pushed out of the workforce by sickness.

The now-30 year old contracted long Covid and chronic fatigue early in the pandemic. Life has become “a living nightmare”, they said, through a battle to negotiate complicated neurological symptoms, light sensitivity and chronic fatigue.

“I’ve lost my ability to interact with the world,” they explained. “I spend most of my life now lying down, with earplugs in, in dark rooms, just trying to not feel absolutely horrendous all the time.

“I’ve struggled with my mental health since I was 12 or 13, when puberty kicked off, but that is now really hard to manage.”

Eli has tried repeatedly to return to work, testing out part-time jobs, nursery shifts and volunteer roles. But each attempt worsened their health: “I’ve found that I just can’t do anything.” They also have autism, ADHD and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a hormonal condition that can bring suicidal ideation every month. They are working with Just Treatment, a patient advocacy body, to help raise awareness of these barriers.

“The reality is that in my 20s I stopped being a profitable person to work with because of my health,” they said. 

Read more:

• This afternoon tea is made and served by people with learning disabilities: ‘A wonderful celebration’
• Living with long Covid can be devastating – it’s time our benefits system recognised that
• Labour’s apprenticeship reforms aim to train the next generation – but do they go far enough?

The government has acknowledged the scale of the challenge, pledging to help young people “unlock their potential” with apprenticeship reform and a youth guarantee.

But their disability benefit reforms – which would slash personal independence payment (PIP) and remove the additional health element of universal credit for people under 22 – cast a long shadow over these aspirations, Harrison warns.

“Government plans to constrain access to health-related welfare benefits risks exacerbating these challenges – potentially pushing more people into unsuitable jobs that may compound and worsen their health issues,” he said.

Eli “desperately” wants to work – and finds the government’s messaging around youth unemployment and health “appalling”.

“I loved my job,” they said. “I don’t need to be lectured by the Labour government about how work can provide purpose and meaning. I am absolutely devastated by the fact that I can’t work.”

If the government really wants to get young people working, they added, it should put money into youth centres.

“We saw a 70% reduction in funding for youth services (between 2011 and 2022). For me that is the biggest barrier to getting young people into work.”

When young people can’t find jobs, it’s often down to a lack of support, rather than a lack of initiative.

Ben, 25, struggled to find work “for a long time”.

“That was obviously a downer for me. So it was just the sort of vicious cycle of having to go into the Jobcentre as a young person, and not being really led in any sort of direction by them, and just sort of clocking in every week.”

He received an opportunity through the government’s Kickstart Scheme, and started working as a job coach supporting other young people. It was difficult, but rewarding.

That scheme has since been closed, and Ben’s contract ended. He’s volunteering with the Youth Futures Foundation and “trying to get involved in that line of work as much as possible”. 

Work helps him “get out of his own head”.

“Being in full time work and having other people’s issues to deal with while being an employment coach sort of suppressed my depression,” he told Big Issue. “Now I’m out of work again and it’s been an up and down journey.”

Big Issue is also working to help young people overcome barriers to work. Our specialist recruitment service Big Issue Recruit works with employers to support people affected by poverty and inequality to move into work. It has supported 41 candidates aged 18 to 24 years of age to help them move into employment.

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