8 March & 10 March 2025 

Youth Unemployment Is Rising — 

But This Isn’t Just a Jobs Story 

And it isn’t just a UK story — it’s a story about who gets left behind, everywhere. 

 

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show youth unemployment at 16.1%. 

Nearly one in six young people actively looking for work cannot find it. 

 

Across the Commonwealth — from Lagos to Lahore, from Kingston to Kuala Lumpur — that number is even starker. Youth unemployment in many member nations sits above 20%. And within those numbers, young women are disproportionately counted out. 

 

At the same time, we’re hearing from employers across engineering, manufacturing, care and technology who are still struggling to hire the right skills. 

 

That tension matters. Because it tells us something important: This isn’t simply a jobs shortage. It’s a transition gap — and it has a gender dimension that we can no longer afford to ignore. 

 

The First-Step Bottleneck 

In almost every economic slowdown, entry-level roles feel the pressure first. 

Why? Because hiring at that level requires: 

 

And when margins tighten, risk tolerance shrinks. So employers look for ‘ready-made’ experience. 

 

But here’s the problem: if every organisation waits for someone else to train the next generation, the pipeline collapses. And that’s what we’re beginning to see. 

 

On International Women’s Day, it’s worth naming this plainly: the ‘ready-made experience’ bias has always fallen harder on women. Career breaks for caregiving, part-time pathways, and sector segregation mean young women arrive at the entry gate already carrying a heavier load. 

 

Fragmentation, Not Failure 

We now have: 

 

These aren’t contradictions. They’re signs of a fragmented labour market. 

 

Young people aren’t short of ambition. Businesses aren’t short of need. The bridge between them is where the strain sits. 

 

Commonwealth Day reminds us this fragmentation is global. Across 56 nations, young people — and particularly young women — share the same structural barriers: limited access to networks, mentors, and employers willing to take a chance on potential over polish. 

 

Why This Matters for Employers 

Youth unemployment isn’t just a social statistic. It’s a long-term productivity issue. 

When young people struggle to access early opportunities: 

 

In other words: today’s hiring caution can become tomorrow’s capability crisis. 

 

Research consistently shows that when women reach their full economic potential, GDP grows — not marginally, but significantly. Closing gender gaps in youth employment isn’t charity. It’s competitive advantage. 

 

What Needs to Shift 

At TYP, we believe the solution isn’t louder debate. It’s better design. That means: 

 

The UK doesn’t have a youth talent problem. It has a connection and transition problem. And that’s fixable — but only if employers lean in. 

 

This Women’s Day, the ask is simple: don’t just celebrate women in leadership. Build the pathways that get more young women there. 

 

The Collective Responsibility 

If we want resilient sectors, sustainable growth, and a stronger future workforce — across the UK and the wider Commonwealth — we cannot allow the first rung of the ladder to disappear. 

 

And we cannot keep designing that ladder as though young women are an afterthought. 

 

Because once that rung goes, rebuilding it is far harder. 

 

This moment isn’t about panic. It’s about alignment. And alignment starts with deliberate action — action that includes everyone. 

 

Happy International Women’s Day. Happy Commonwealth Day. 

From the team at TYP — committed to building the bridge, together.