People in their twenties are more likely to be unemployed due to poor health than people in their early forties
Young people are at greater risk of being unemployed due to ill health than people in their early 40s, according to a report calling for action on the UK’s mental wellbeing crisis.
People in their early 20s with mental health problems may not have had access to steady education and may find themselves out of work or in low-paid jobs, the Resolution Foundation research found.
As the number of young people with poor mental health increases, 34% of people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of a mental disorder such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder in 2021-2022, according to official data.
It is a significant increase from the figure of 24% in 2000, with young women one and a half times more likely to be negatively affected.
“Focus on this issue has often focused on higher education, but what should worry us most is when poor mental health is linked to poor educational outcomes,” said Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation.
“The economic impact of poor mental health is greatest for young people who do not attend university; one in three young non-graduates with a common mental disorder is currently unemployed.”
She added: “To tackle this mental health crisis, we need better support services in colleges that are currently understaffed, and much better provision for those resit exams, so that everyone has qualifications to build on build.”
The report, which called for government action, also found that 79% of 18 to 24-year-olds who are unemployed due to ill health only have qualifications at GCSE level or below. This compared to 34% of all people in that age group.
Meanwhile, 12% of 11 to 16-year-olds with poor mental health missed more than 15 days of school in fall 2023, compared to one in 50 healthier classmates, the report said.
Jo Bibby, health director at the Health Foundation, said: “Policymakers need to focus on the building blocks of healthcare, such as good employment and education, to ensure young people get the support they need and have the resources to to move through the world. as adults.
“Without concerted, intergovernmental action, we risk creating a ‘lost generation’ due to poor health.”
If children aged 11 to 14 have poor mental health, they are three times more likely to fail the five GCSEs, including maths and English, compared to healthier children, the report found.
In 2022, 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds with mental health problems who were working were in low-paying jobs, compared to 35% of healthier peers. A third of young people with mental health problems and without a diploma are out of work, compared to 17% of graduates with the same illnesses.
The study concluded that efforts to tackle the UK’s epidemic of poor mental health should focus on less educated young people.
It also called for more mental health support at universities and in the sixth form, and for more efforts to ensure fewer people leave compulsory education with low levels of qualifications.