Young people are being locked out of a tough jobs market, a new report has claimed (Picture: Getty)

Many young people ‘feel totally excluded’ from the jobs market and are ‘rapidly losing hope’, according to a new report.

Youth unemployment is ‘chronically high’, with 16% of all 18-24-year-olds (859,000) not in work.

Nearly one in 10 young people (227,000) not currently in employment or studying say they never intend to work a day in their life.

The findings are based on a survey of 5,000 people commissioned by City and Guilds, a skill-training organisation. 

It paints a bleak picture in which many feel excluded in a jobs market which can seem hostile or geared against those looking to get a foot on the ladder.

Almost a third (30%) of young people stated they don’t think they will ever be able to achieve their career ambitions. 

The figures are even more stark for society’s most vulnerable, particularly those who have been in the prison system (59%), been a refugee (54%) or been through the care system (44%).

Kirstie Donnelly, CEO of City and Guilds, said: ‘We can’t keep blaming the pandemic for the issues facing today’s youth. 

‘High youth unemployment has been an issue for more than a decade and the pandemic was just another challenge heaped onto an already creaking system that makes it incredibly difficult for young people to convert their aspirations into good jobs.

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‘In addition, our research found that young people who have faced additional challenges, such as young carers, care and prison leavers and those who come from less affluent families, are falling way behind their peers in the labour market at the earliest stage of their careers. 

‘The current system is baking in inequality and preventing millions of young people from meeting their potential.’

More than two in five (43%) do not believe that their education has equipped them with the skills they need to get the job they want. 

Two thirds (64%) of young people say that it is not easy to get a good job these days, and nearly a third (29%) say they have struggled to get interviews.

One in five (19%) say there simply aren’t the jobs available in their local area.

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Many 18-24-year-olds are ‘rapidly losing hope’ in a brutal jobs market, a survey has found.