Vulnerable Young Men in Fragile Labour Markets: Employment, Unemployment and the Search for Long-Term Security

Abstract

[This report is] an examination of the effect of early long-term unemployment on the later careers of young men. Focusing on young men who had experienced a period of long-term unemployment more than five years ago, this report studies how far they can recover from early difficulties and go on to establish successful careers. Based on in-depth interviews with 32 young men in the West of Scotland, the report examines how they attempt to move from unemployment to stable jobs. It describes how some become trapped in insecure work and the extent to which existing policies fail to address effectively deficiencies in the supply or demand for quality labour. The research suggests that few young men who experience an early period of long-term unemployment manage to make a complete recovery. Most remain trapped in the casual and insecure sectors of the labour market. With unemployment levels being relatively low, the problem for many young men was not so much finding work, but finding jobs that offered training and a degree of long-term security.

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