Growing queues of young people hunt UK jobs
Source: Agencies |
November 17, 2011, Thursday
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FRESH-FACED and in preppy clothes, a steady stream of young people strolling in and out of a Jobcentre in north London this week are part of a growing army of more than a million young unemployed Britons.
A visit to the Barnsbury Road Jobcentre in north London to claim state benefits has become routine for around 900 people aged under 25. Some waited outside for their friends to come out, making the Jobcentre something of a social hub.
Smoking a cigarette outside, customer service agent Moses Njie, 61, shook his head sadly when asked about the unemployed youth he deals with every day.
"Some of them are very determined. They will get jobs. Some of them start when they are 18 and keep coming back year after year," he said. "Some of the girls coming in here, they don't even look 14. I tell them: 'You have to think of your future. Don't wait until you are old.'"
The unemployment rate among under 25s is 21.9 percent, compared with a national unemployment rate of 8.3 percent for the population as a whole. To qualify for state benefits of 53.45 pounds (US$84.27) a week, unemployed youth must regularly attend the Jobcentre and apply for jobs on the center's computers, demonstrating they are actively looking for work.
Some people's efforts go far beyond this, however. Sean Anker, 25, has been largely unemployed for the last four years. He says he spends about 20 pounds a week in internet cafes, trawling the web for jobs.
This week, he has applied for 87 positions. "That is below normal actually," he said.
A qualified gardener, over time Anker's search has become less and less picky. This week, for the first time, he applied for work in fast-food restaurants. "It is nigh on impossible," he said. "Practically everyone I know is in a similar situation."
A visit to the Barnsbury Road Jobcentre in north London to claim state benefits has become routine for around 900 people aged under 25. Some waited outside for their friends to come out, making the Jobcentre something of a social hub.
Smoking a cigarette outside, customer service agent Moses Njie, 61, shook his head sadly when asked about the unemployed youth he deals with every day.
"Some of them are very determined. They will get jobs. Some of them start when they are 18 and keep coming back year after year," he said. "Some of the girls coming in here, they don't even look 14. I tell them: 'You have to think of your future. Don't wait until you are old.'"
The unemployment rate among under 25s is 21.9 percent, compared with a national unemployment rate of 8.3 percent for the population as a whole. To qualify for state benefits of 53.45 pounds (US$84.27) a week, unemployed youth must regularly attend the Jobcentre and apply for jobs on the center's computers, demonstrating they are actively looking for work.
Some people's efforts go far beyond this, however. Sean Anker, 25, has been largely unemployed for the last four years. He says he spends about 20 pounds a week in internet cafes, trawling the web for jobs.
This week, he has applied for 87 positions. "That is below normal actually," he said.
A qualified gardener, over time Anker's search has become less and less picky. This week, for the first time, he applied for work in fast-food restaurants. "It is nigh on impossible," he said. "Practically everyone I know is in a similar situation."
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