Although employers are becoming increasingly reluctant to hire young people, those that do generally find them well-equipped for working life – despite the bad press that this demographic receives.
According to a survey of 79,152 employers undertaken by IFF Research on behalf of the UK Commission for Skills and Employment (UK CES), a mere 23% had recruited a young person to their first job over the last 12 months, down from 26% in 2007.
The study found that organisations were most likely to take on 17- or 18-year-olds straight from school or college (11%) and under 24 year-olds that had undertaken higher education (10%) than 16-year-olds (6%).
But of those employers who did give 16 year olds a chance, two thirds found them well or very well prepared for work. The figure rose to 74% for 17- or 18-year-old school or college leavers and 84% for recent graduates, however.
Chris Humphries, UK CES' chief executive, said: "Employers who actually have experience of working with young people seem to be much more positive about them than employers more generally. So whilst it is important to continue efforts to make school, college and university leavers as work-ready as possible, it is up to employers to leave their prejudices behind and ensure they make the most of this pool of talent."
Work experience, apprenticeships and internships were an easy and relatively risk-free way to do so, but it was important that employers were "open-minded enough" to make suitable permanent positions available for youngsters looking for their first job, he added.
The study also found that the level of job vacancies, including those that were traditionally hard to fill and those that suffered from skills shortages, had fallen sharply due to the recession.
The proportion of staff with skills gaps also rose to 19% last year from 15% in 2007, which could indicate that employers were not hiring new talent but simply expecting existing staff to do more due to difficult economic circumstances.
Finally, while the number of employers that offered training remained stable, the percentage of staff receiving such development fell to 56% in 2009 from 63% three years ago.
