Britain’s anxious young people struggle with the demands of modern workplaces, government adviser warns

Anxiety, depression and increasing reliance on technology are making it difficult for young people to adapt to the modern workforce, a UK government adviser has warned. Alan Milburn will tell governments and businesses that flexible working and appropriate mental health support can have long-term economic benefits, especially as the number of economically inactive people aged 16 to 24 continues to grow.The Guardian reports that Milburn’s interim report on youth inactivity examines the impact of social media, changing work expectations and the mental health of a growing number of young people outside of education and employment.Mr Milburn, who served as health secretary under former prime minister Tony Blair, was tasked by UK prime minister Keir Starmer last year to investigate why nearly a million young British people fall into the NEET category, a term used to describe people who are not in education, employment or training.In his report, Milburn argues that businesses and organizations need to understand how digital culture has changed young generations. He said smartphones and social media have changed the way young people communicate, deal with stress and approach work.“Rather than putting people into work, this system is keeping people unemployed,” Milburn told the Times. “We are in danger of writing off a generation.”Milburn also described what he called the “Bedroom Generation,” whose members spend much of their time online and away from traditional work environments.“This is the bedroom generation. They kind of live in their bedrooms. They’re always on, never off. [Social media] There is evidence of functional impairment, with changes in sleep patterns and concentration levels. That is affecting their ability to work,” he said.He rejected criticism that young workers lack resilience.“They are not snowflakes. People say this is a soft generation, but my opinion is that it is not. It is an insecure generation,” he said.More than half of the UK’s 946,000 NEETs have never worked before, according to government figures. The data also shows that around a quarter of young people suffer from a long-term illness or disability that prevents them from working. Of these, nearly 43% cited mental health issues, compared to 24% in 2011.Officials also pointed out that inactivity among young people in the UK remained higher than in some comparable countries. Research shows a link between unemployment in early adulthood and lower wages later in life.Milburn’s report states:[Young people] They are different, but they are not worse, lazier or less intelligent. They have grown up in a digital world that has rewired how they communicate, form relationships, and manage stress. They have less experience in the workplace and have higher levels of anxiety and depression. ”The report comes at a time when immigration to the UK is falling sharply after hitting a record high in 2022. Mr Milburn said companies could potentially recruit from a large population of inactive young people if they were provided with the right support and training.Last week Peter Hyman, a former headteacher and government adviser, told the Guardian that schools were increasingly pushing vulnerable young people away from long-term employment. He also called for urgent reforms, including restricting minors’ access to social media.