According to a new report from the Resolution Foundation, people in their early 20s are more likely to be out of work due to ill health than those in their early 40s. This is a stark contrast to the past, when those who were older were more likely to be out of work due to sickness. The rise in poor mental health among young people is a contributing factor, as it can interfere with their education and lead to underemployment or unemployment.
The report found that in 2023, 5% of young people were economically inactive due to ill health. Furthermore, young people now have the poorest mental health of any age group, in contrast to two decades ago when they had the lowest incidence of common mental disorders. In 2021/22, 34% of young people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of a mental disorder such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. In 2000, that figure stood at 24%.
Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, expressed concern that attention had previously been paid primarily to mental health in higher education but what was most concerning was the interaction between poor mental health and poor educational outcomes. The economic consequences of mental health issues are most severe for young non-graduates with mental disorders; one in three are currently out of work.
The research also identified young women as particularly vulnerable and more likely than young men to experience poor mental health, with reports of a 41% incidence compared to { }26%. Another finding showed that 79% of 18 to 24 year olds who were “workless” due to ill health held only qualifications at GCSE level or below; this compared with 34% of all people in the same age group.
The Resolution Foundation is calling for better mental health support in colleges and sixth forms and for action to ensure that fewer young people leave compulsory education with low qualification levels. Jo Bibby, Director of the Health Foundation, a charity seeking to improve healthcare, suggested that “good employment and education” were the “building blocks of health” and called for “cross-government action” to prevent the emergence of a “lost generation” due to poor mental health
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