A study has found that mental ill health is keeping young people out of work and affecting their chances in school.
Around 34% of young people, aged between 18 to 24, are suffering from a common mental health disorder (CMD) such as depression or anxiety, according to the Resolution Foundation. This is a large increase since 2000 when this number was just 24%.
Those with a mental health problem are more likely to be out of work, with 21% of young people not working due to mental ill health between 2018 and 2022. For their healthy peers, just 13% are out of work.
Almost 80% of young people out of work due to ill health do not have qualifications above GCSE-level. For all people aged 18 to 24, this number is 34%.
Children between 11 and 16 years old are also suffering due to mental ill health. Around 12% of those with poor mental health missed more than 15 days in the 2023 autumn term, compared to just 2% of healthy classmates.
‘What should most worry us is when poor mental health comes together with poor education outcomes,’ said senior economist at the Resolution Foundation Louise Murphy.
‘The economic consequences of poor mental health are starkest for young people who don’t go to university, with one in three young non-graduates with a common mental disorder currently workless.’
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