Insight: Three reflections on the Work Foundation's new report

Last week, Connor Natella, Operational Hub Lead for our Central London Careers Hub service, was in Parliament for the launch of the Work Foundation’s latest report on youth employment. Here, Connor reflects on three themes that particularly stood out from the discussion, and why they matter for those supporting young people into work.

The discussion came at an important moment. More than one million young people are now NEET, and Alan Milburn’s recent interim review has focused national attention on the scale and nature of the challenge.

What struck me most about the event was that it moved beyond the headline statistics and explored what young people are experiencing on the ground. Three reflections have stayed with me since.

1. The first step into work is becoming harder to find

   One of the report’s most striking findings is that so-called 'starter jobs' – roles accessible to someone entering the labour market for the first time – have fallen by almost half over the last decade. These are the jobs that have traditionally provided the first rung on the career ladder, helping young people gain experience, confidence and workplace skills.

   As those opportunities become scarcer, competition intensifies and it becomes harder for young people to gain a foothold in the labour market. The challenge is not simply about helping young people become work ready. It is also about ensuring there are opportunities available when they are ready.

   That distinction feels increasingly important. Discussions about youth inactivity often focus on the individual. The report was a useful reminder that labour market conditions matter too.

2. Place matters more than we sometimes acknowledge

   The report drew on research with young people in Liverpool and Morecambe and highlighted how local circumstances shape access to opportunity. What stood out to me was how often barriers that appear small in isolation can accumulate into something much bigger. Transport, local labour market conditions, confidence and perceptions of opportunity all influence whether a young person feels able to take the next step.

   These themes resonate with what we see through the Central London Careers Hub. Most young people have ambitions for their future, but access to employers, meaningful experiences of work and confidence in a chosen pathway are not distributed evenly. Two young people with similar potential can face very different prospects depending on the opportunities and support available around them. Place continues to matter, even in a labour market that is often assumed to be increasingly connected.

3. Relationships and trust remain critical

   Perhaps the most powerful moment of the event came during a conversation with a young man who had applied for more than 100 jobs. He spoke about being strong in maths but struggling with exams because he is neurodivergent. Despite having clear ability and motivation, repeated rejection and a lack of feedback had left him questioning his own potential.

   His story reflected a wider theme running through both the report and the discussion. Many young people are not lacking aspiration. Instead, they are navigating systems that can feel complex, impersonal and difficult to access. That is why trusted support matters so much. Whether through schools, Careers Hubs, local authorities, employers or employment support providers, relationships often make the difference between a young person disengaging and taking their next step forward.

The Work Foundation’s report makes a valuable contribution to an increasingly important debate. Alongside Alan Milburn’s review, it reinforces the case for strengthening the pathways that connect education and employment, creating more opportunities for young people to gain experience of work, and ensuring that support is available when setbacks occur.

For those of us working with young people, the message was clear: talent and ambition are not in short supply. Our challenge is to ensure the opportunities and support structures around them are strong enough to help them succeed.