Daily chart: Troubled youths

ON MOST measures Britain is doing well: last year its economy grew faster than any other G7 country, while overall unemployment is 5.6%, compared with 10% in France. But according to the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, on one measure Britain still lags behind. The rate of those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) is, at 12%, around the OECD average. But British youngsters who leave school early are the most likely to be unemployed in the rich world (see chart 1). Britain has the third-highest share of youngsters with poor literacy and numeracy skills, and the fourth-highest share who are bad with technology. British NEETS are the most illiterate and innumerate in the rich world.This may reflect high levels of immigration into the country. But it also points to a more worrying trend among British youths. In a trend not seen anywhere else in the European Union, children of native-born Britons are more likely to be unemployed than the offspring of immigrants (see chart 2). When politicians ponder about how to tackle youth unemployment, they should start in the classroom. See full article

20150820 14:56:44

Comment Expiry Date: 

Fri, 2015-09-04
Source: The Economy