‘I applied for 500 jobs in two months’: Inside UK’s youth unemployment crisis

Charlotte Briggs thought a university degree would open doors. Instead, she has spent months sending out hundreds of applications with little to show for it.“You have to work 10 times harder to work for a role that 10 years ago you could have got very easily straight out of university,” says the 22-year-old business management graduate.Within just two months, she had applied for 500 jobs, according to BBC. “It’s quite upsetting because I’ve worked really hard for the last three years to achieve a 2:1 just to be rejected for not having experience.”Her experience may sound extreme, but it reflects a bigger problem facing young people across the UK.

Rising youth unemployment

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that 22.5% of people aged 16 to 24 in London are unemployed.

This makes it the second-highest rate in the UK, behind the North East at 24.6%. The national average stands at 16.1%, the highest level in more than a decade.In London alone, 125,000 young people were unemployed in the last quarter of 2025, an increase of 22,000 compared with the same period a year earlier. Just over half of them are men, while 45% are women.Overall, unemployment in London is also above the national average, at 7.6% compared with 5.2% across the UK.

Economists say the capital is showing early signs of a weakening labour market. Avnee Morjaria from the Institute for Public Policy Research points to several factors behind the trend.“You’ve got the hospitality and retail sector struggling, difficulty in entry points in the labour market, the cost of employing young people,” she said.

‘No progression’ in available jobs

For Charlotte, the struggle is not just about finding work, but finding the right kind of work.Now claiming universal credit as a last resort, she says she does not want to take roles outside her chosen field. Entry-level jobs in retail or hospitality, she believes, offer “no progression”.Her situation is echoed by others.Theo dal Pozzo, 23, holds a first class master’s degree in computer science. Despite his qualifications, he says he has faced the same wall of rejection.“I’ve applied for over 500 jobs and I’ve been rejected from all of them,” he said.“There's so many people applying to so many jobs using AI and the job listings are being scanned by AI - CVs, everything. It feels very difficult to differentiate myself from other people.”Technology is now shaping both sides of the hiring process. While applicants use tools to apply faster, employers rely on automated systems to filter candidates. Some in the industry say this has made it harder for young people to stand out.There are also signs that job opportunities themselves are shrinking. In the hospitality sector, around 100,000 jobs have been lost across the UK since the October 2024 Budget due to rising costs, according to the industry body UK Hospitality.Chairwoman Kate Nicholls warned that younger workers are often the first to be affected.“We know that younger and entry-level workers are typically the first to be affected, as it becomes much harder for businesses to sustain those entry level positions.“If the pressure on hospitality businesses continues, we risk losing not just jobs, but a vital pathway into work for an entire generation of young Londoners.”Theo has now been on universal credit for six months. Alongside applying for computing roles, he has also tried to find work in hospitality.“I’ve been pub to pub, restaurant to restaurant, haven’t heard back from the majority of these,” he added.

Confidence and mental health concerns

The impact of unemployment is not just financial. Charities say it is also affecting young people’s confidence and mental health.Trina Rodden from youth unemployment charity The Shaw Trust said they have seen a sharp rise in anxiety among young people.“It can either be as extreme as young people that just won’t leave their bedroom,” she said.“They just don’t want to leave, they’re very isolated, and they’re totally disengaged.”Hadil Haidar, 22, has also felt the strain. She left university after two years due to “unforeseeable circumstances” and has been searching for work since November 2025.She has applied for more than 70 entry-level roles, mainly in hospitality, and handed out “countless CVs”.“It can be really demoralising."“I’m fluent in three languages and I did my GCSEs in a year when I moved to the UK in Year 11. I’m creative and always up for new things. Sometimes I don’t feel I’m given a chance to showcase my skills.”She believes the pandemic made things worse for her generation. Many missed out on work experience and struggled with the transition from education to employment.

A changing approach to work

With competition so high, some young people are trying different routes. Data from LinkedIn shows a growing number are creating their own opportunities rather than waiting for traditional jobs.The number of young people adding “Founder” to their profiles has risen by 60% over the past year. Gen Z in the UK are now twice as likely as millennials to freelance or start a business.LinkedIn’s chief economic opportunity officer Aneesh Raman says young people need to adapt to a changing job market.

He advises building AI skills, focusing on communication and problem-solving, and showing practical achievements rather than relying only on academic results.

What is being done

City leaders say tackling youth unemployment is a priority. A spokesperson for the mayor of London pointed to the Inclusive Talent Strategy, which includes £147.2 million in funding to improve training and employment opportunities.At a national level, the government plans to offer companies £3,000 for each young person aged 18 to 24 they hire who has been on benefits for six months or more.Officials say the broader package could create 200,000 jobs and support up to one million young people.However, some organisations argue more needs to be done to prepare young people for work. Julia Evans from the charity Spear said the focus should be on helping them become job-ready.Morjaria added that the goal should be to ensure young people can either “earn or learn”, suggesting measures such as a youth allowance linked to training or job search.

Looking ahead

Experts warn that long-term unemployment at a young age can have lasting effects on income, health and future opportunities.“Allowing young people to leave education and drift straight into the welfare system risks permanently scarring a generation,” Morjaria said.Despite the challenges, many young people remain hopeful.“We owe young people the chance to be happy and be themselves, and be productive members of society,” said Hadil.Theo shares that optimism.“I’m looking forward towards a future that I know will be better than now.”