'Life is harder than ever' for young Scots

Monday 20 August 2012

ALMOST three-quarters (73%) of young people in Scotland claim that life is harder than ever for the young unemployed, according to new research.

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Lucinda CameRon

The study found almost half (49%) of young people north of the Border think finding a job is harder than this time last year with more than two-fifths (45%) feeling disposable in their current job.

The figures come after a study by The Prince's Trust and Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS).They have been published to coincide with The Prince's Trust's move to promote self-employment as a way out of worklessness for young people.More than half of young people in Scotland (60%) believe setting up in business would give them a sense of achievement and purpose, while 54% think it is a viable route out of unemployment, the research found.The Prince's Trust's Youth Business Scotland programme aims to support young people as they explore the idea of setting up a business.Heather Grey, director of The Prince's Trust Scotland, said: "It is clear it's a difficult time for young people in Scotland as they're becoming increasingly disillusioned with their lives. The Prince's Trust is committed to ensuring young people receive the right support to help them move forward into education, training, employment and self-employment."Through our Youth Business Scotland programme, young people have the opportunity to explore and test their business ideas and will be fully supported by business mentors."The start-up funding the trust offers is a vital investment for our young entrepreneurs and allows them to create opportunities for themselves at a time when unemployment remains a persistent barrier."The campaign to promote self-employment comes after The Prince's Trust Scotland merged with its sister charity, The Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT), specialists in business start-ups. More than 1000 young people now benefit from entrepreneurial support, Ms Grey added.Researchers found almost half (48%) of self-employed young people questioned across the UK said starting their own business is the best decision they have ever made and more than half (51%) said they would recommend starting a business to unemployed young people.More than one in 10 said they set up in business because they could not find a job.Chris Sullivan, chief executive of corporate banking at RBS, said: "RBS is proud to continue to support The Prince's Trust's Youth Business Scotland programme which is proven to help young people set up business."This is particularly important in the current economic climate and I hope this will inspire any young unemployed person to consider self employment."Meanwhile, new figures reveal insolvencies in Scottish firms are at a two-year low. A total of 65 companies failed last month, 25% down on the previous year, the latest Business Insolvency Index from Experian showed.Researchers said Scotland has historically had some of the lowest insolvency rates, but after January 2012 its insolvency rates were higher and more in line with the rest of the UK. However, during July 2012 Scotland had the biggest month-on-month fall in its insolvency rate – from 0.09% in June to 0.05% in July – and is now at its lowest point since July 2010, the study said.Across the UK as a whole, 1776 companies (0.09% of the business population) failed last month, compared to 1,962 companies (0.10%) in July 2011.Max Firth, managing director of Experian Business Information Services UK&I, said: "Since March this year, when the insolvency rate peaked at 0.11%, it has remained fairly stable – between 0.08% and 0.09%. The lack of any real increase is clearly welcome and this picture is unlikely to change in the near future.

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'Life is harder than ever' for young Scots

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