Huge rise in New Forest youngsters claiming unemployment benefits
HUGE rises in the number of young people in the New Forest claiming unemployment benefits are due to the coronavirus pandemic “pulling the rug from under them”, a college principal has claimed.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show massive increases in the number of 16 to 24-year-olds registering for support in the district.
In Totton alone the number in that age group between June 2019 and this year has risen by 177% – outpacing the equivalent national figure of 145%.
The blame for the sharp increase has been placed on youngsters being more likely to have jobs in the tourism and hospitality sectors, which have been badly hit by Covid-19.
Totton Nacro College principal Lisa Capper said: “Not since the 1980s have we seen a collapse of the youth labour market like we are seeing today. Many young people find their plans on hold and the rug pulled out from under them.”
The grim figures come on top of more potential bad news in the job market this week, with national companies who all have local outlets – Pizza Express, Hays travel and WH Smith – announcing they face having to axe thousands of roles.
Overall the numbers for the New Forest show there were 4,175 people on out-of-work benefits in June 2020.
Although that is a slight drop on May when it was 4,435, it was still the highest since September 1994. It is a big increase when compared to March 2020, the beginning of the enforced lockdown, when it was nearly three times lower at 1,525.
The June figures show 5% of working age males locally – or 2,430 – were out of work and 3.4% of females (or 1,740).
Figures for the BCP Council area, which includes Christchurch, showed that the category with the highest number of out-of-work claimants was in the 18-24 age group at 2,750. In the BCP area overall 15,395 people are claiming.
In a message to young people, Mrs Capper said “there are options out there”, adding: “It is important now that young people stay in education and training and prepare for the jobs market of the future to give them the best chance in this more competitive future.”
She highlighted that many education and training opportunities in the workplace, colleges and centres have been disrupted, with experts fearing thousands of young people will never return to the further education system.
As reported in the A&T, local business leaders have warned of the potential impact of the pandemic on the Forest because up to a fifth of its jobs are based in the tourism and hospitality sectors. They have called for the government to offer as much financial help as it can.
Despite more than £44m of grants being made available, there are still fears that firms have slipped through the cracks and that a second lockdown would prove catastrophic.
