Charity in warning on young jobless

Youth unemployment will not reach pre-recession levels until at least 2018, a decade after the financial crisis kicked in, according to a new report.

The Prince's Trust warned that 10 years of young talent will "fall between the cracks" unless urgent action is taken to tackle the problem.

Before the recession, around one in seven young people in the UK were struggling to find a job, almost twice the current youth unemployment rate in Germany, said the report.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of the Prince's Trust, said: "The financial crisis is finally over and for every young person who gets into work this is a step in the right direction. However, thousands of unemployed young people are still struggling and the youth unemployment levels were unacceptably high even before the recent recession.

"By the time youth unemployment falls back to pre-recession levels, an entire decade of young talent may have fallen between the cracks.

"Government and employers must re-double their efforts to support unemployed youngsters now, or risk cutting an entire generation adrift from the jobs market."

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