# Guardian follows eight young people seeking lasting work

> Almost a million UK young people struggle to move from school into stable employment. The Guardian is tracking eight of them as they navigate jobseeking, rejection and a broken social contract.
- Title: Guardian follows eight young people seeking lasting work
- Summary: Almost a million UK young people struggle to move from school into stable employment.
- Keywords: youth unemployment, neet, alan milburn, andy burnham, universal credit, jobs crisis, mental health, uk economy, the Guardian
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/business/2026/nov/14/guardian-young-people-search-for-work
- Published: 2026-11-14T10:00:42+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: youth unemployment, neet, alan milburn, andy burnham, universal credit, jobs crisis, mental health, uk economy, news, world
## One in eight young people stuck
Almost a million UK young people are struggling to make a lasting move from school into work. This represents one in eight of the age group facing a jobs crisis.
## Guardian launches tracking series
Before Alan Milburn's landmark 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.
## Eight from across the country
The eight participants, aged twenty to twenty-six, will share their stories of jobseeking in uncertain economic times after the Covid pandemic and with AI now upending the jobs market.
## Long-term scarring from joblessness
Young people who reach twenty-four without ever having worked stand to lose up to three hundred thousand pounds in earnings over their lifetime, even if they later find jobs.
## Endless rejection takes its toll
Many young people describe endless job applications, rejection letters and ghostings by employers. The experience exacts a heavy financial and emotional toll, worsened by social media pressure.
## Mental health and shame
Alice, twenty-four, from Bristol, said: there have been 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.

> 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.'
## The social contract is broken
Aamir, twenty-five, from London, said: the universal credit people told me I'd done everything right. You can do everything right and still lose. I feel like the social contract is broken in Britain.

> The universal credit people told me I'd done everything right. You can do everything right and still lose. I feel like the social contract is broken in Britain.
## Milburn warns of structural failure
Alan Milburn will publish his report on Tuesday, warning of structural failure by market and state that sent young Neets soaring to a million. He calls for benefits system overhaul.
## Crisis costs Britain one hundred twenty-five billion
Milburn estimates the cost of Britain's youth jobs crisis amounts to one hundred twenty-five billion pounds a year. Employers miss recruits and consumers, while the state bears rising benefits costs.
## Key takeaway

The Guardian is launching a series following eight young people battling to find lasting work as almost a million UK youth struggle with joblessness, rejection and mental health impacts.