The IPPR recently published a report looking at youth
unemployment in London[1]. In the report they appear to recognise that inward
migration from abroad is one of the factors that has affected the employment
chances of young Londoners.
“Employers have also
become increasingly reluctant to hire teenagers, particularly in London. Only 6
per cent of UK employers, and just 3 per cent of employers in the capital,
recruit straight from school. As a result, school-leavers compete with more
experienced workers for the same jobs, in addition to competing with more
highly qualified young people. Despite the vibrancy of London’s economy, the
inward flow of migration from other regions and abroad has resulted in a highly
competitive environment at the lower end of the labour market. Many of these
relatively well-skilled new residents take on lowpaid jobs while they finish their studies or
look for something better , leaving those with the weakest skills and
experience more likely to be ‘squeezed out’.”[2]
We welcome this apparent outbreak of common sense at the
IPPR and hope that it is allowed continue.
[1]
http://www.ippr.org/publication/55/9516/from-learning-to-earning-understanding-the-school-to-work-transition-in-london Executive summary page 3
[2]
Ibid p.3