Work 'double whammy' for youngsters (From Knutsford Guardian)

Work 'double whammy' for youngsters

10:03am Wednesday 29th February 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

Young people are more likely to be laid off and find it more difficult than older staff to find another job, new research has revealed.

A study of 40,000 households by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) found youngsters faced a "double whammy" in their attempts to find and keep work.

The average time 16 to 24-year-olds spent out of work has increased in recent years, according to the report.

Dr Mark Taylor, a labour market researcher at the ISER at the University of Essex, who analysed the data, said: "Young people are particularly suffering in this recession, with unemployment currently even higher than when this survey was conducted.

"The double-penalty faced by young people is due to them falling victim to the 'first-in, first-out' policies that are used in practice by many employers.

"Then young people tend to have accumulated fewer job-specific skills. Employers may feel that they lose less by letting young workers go and may also choose not to hire them because of the costs associated with training them."

Over a million young people are unemployed.