One in four unemployed young people in Scotland have been so depressed they have considered suicide, a new report reveals.
Online mentoring service The Future You collated the responses of more than 750 individuals across the UK to highlight the negative effect that unemployment, and a subsequent fall into debt, is having on young people.Two thirds of the Scots surveyed revealed that being classified as a Neet – Not in Education, Employment or Training, made them feel bad about themselves, whilst one third often felt that their “life was being wasted”.Patrick Gilford, of Future You, told the Scotsman: "Traditional methods of getting young people into work aren't working. Young people have told us that career advisers and Job Centres were the least useful tool available to them."What they want is support from people their age, their families and working people they can take realistic advice from."
The report exposes the negative impact debt and unemployment has on self-worth, with one in five of the respondents surveyed expecting to rely on state benefits for life. All of those surveyed were 25 or under. Official figures for Scottish unemployment place it at 7.7 per cent, the same as the UK average. The Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has revealed that the unemployment rate for young people is around 20 per cent. The chief executive of CAS, Lucy McTernan, said: "The evidence from Scottish advice bureaux shows that young people in Scotland have been hit hard by the recession, and that this is really causing a wave of anger and despair across their generation.”She revealed that a survey CAS conducted of Scots aged 18 to 25 highlighted that “the scale of the crisis in our youth is much greater than is generally realised.”She revealed: "One in every five young people aged 16 to 24 are now unemployed. For 16- to 17-year-olds, this figure jumps to one in every three."
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Across all occupational groups debt/income has got easier in the last 5 years. In 2005, the average enquirer owed, in unsecured debt only (ie, excluding the mortgage) 199% of their annual take home pay. In 2010 this figure had reduced to 148%. Even amongst unemployed people (and despite last years sharp rise in debt to income ratio), the situation is less bleak now than in 2005, when they owed an average of 327% of take home income in unsecured debt.
The proportion of our debt enquirers that are unemployed is consistently a few per cent ahead of the proportion one would expect when compared with the UK’s unemployment rate – which is probably no great surprise. I think the sharp rise in debt to income ratio in this group should worry people in government because it also comes at a time when unemployment has risen sharply and looks set to continue marching upward. The chickens may not come home to roost until these people find jobs again but, if and when they do, they are going to be entering employment with a debt burden they will find difficult to service and in sufficient numbers, I guess, to have an impact on any growth we are expecting to come from consumer spending. New and effective debt resolution procedures could make a big difference here.
