Guardian to follow eight young people seeking work as Britain's jobless youth nears one million

Across Britain, almost a million young people — one in eight — are struggling to make the leap from school to the world of work on a lasting basis.

Before the landmark Alan Milburn review, expected on Tuesday, the Guardian is launching a new series to chronicle the lives of eight young people battling to get a start on the career ladder.

The eight, drawn from across the country, will share their stories of jobseeking in uncertain economic times, after the chaos of the Covid pandemic during their final years of education and with AI now upending the jobs market.

Andy Burnham has promised to restore hope for the next generation by helping more young people into work, with his government pushing to tackle the rise in the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (Neet) to the highest level in a decade.

Each participant in the series will offer reflections on their dealings with employers and the welfare state. The youngest is 20 and the oldest 26 — just outside the age range used to compile the official statistics, but critical to include as the revolving door on insecure work can have a lasting impact well beyond early adulthood.

The long-term scarring effects from being Neet can be profound. For those who reach the age of 24 without ever having worked, even if they re-enter the jobs market successfully they stand to lose up to £300,000 in earnings over their lifetime.

For many the experience is one of endless job applications, rejection letters and outright ghostings by employers, exacting a heavy financial and emotional toll in a status-driven social media age.

Frances, 25, from London, said: “I feel unbelievable guilt given my academic and general life chances, but I can’t even seem to get seasonal work as a retail assistant or bar worker.”

Alice, 24, from Bristol, said: “There have been a couple of occasions where I’ve not been able to sleep. I’ve cried in the middle of the night and just thought: ‘I don’t want to do any of this.’ Every setback is tricky to pick yourself back up from.”

On Tuesday Milburn will publish his final official report into young people and work. The former Labour cabinet minister will hand recommendations to the government and warn of a structural failure by the market and the state that has sent the number of young Neets soaring to a million.

In the Guardian project, many of the young people involved are on universal credit. Some have a small amount of insecure work — none have found meaningful work on a sustainable basis.