Under-25s hit worst by recession

More 18 to 24-year-olds than any other age group in the UK know someone who's lost their job in the recession. That's one of the findings of the BBC's Taking the Pulse survey and another indication the younger generation is feeling the brunt of the economic downturn. Newsbeat's Tamasin Ford reports from Hull.

As the class of 2009 graduates from schools, colleges and universities across the country, there are fears that the problem of youth unemployment is only going to get worse.

It is a national problem but in some cities, like Hull, it's a stark reality.

Famous for its docks and the Humber bridge, it's now known for having the highest percentage of under-25s claiming Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) than any other city in the UK.

Twenty-two-year-old Simon Muller is one of them. He said: "I've been out of work for a year-and-a-half now. I'm still looking for any kind of work, whether it's factory or retail."

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'Frustrated and angry'

Simon's one of 12 young unemployed people taking part in a week-long scheme at the KC stadium, home of the city's football and rugby league sides.

Backed by the Prince's Trust and funded by the Premier League, the Football Federation and the Professional Footballers Association, it's about inspiring young people to get them back into the world of work.

Saeed Ali says having no job makes you feel like giving up

"It's just really hard as there isn't anything out there. I'm just really frustrated and angry," he said.

Simon's not alone. A thousand young people are losing their jobs every day, according to the latest unemployment figures.

2.3 million people are now out of work in the UK.

Saeed Ali, who's on the course too, hasn't had a job for eight months. His only source of income is also Jobseekers Allowance.

He said: "I'm just wasting my life. It's so hard because a) you don't have any money and b) you feel useless really.

"You can't do anything, there's nothing to look forward to and you basically just give up on life."

And as people like Saeed and Simon prepare for another evening of scouring through the scant jobs pages, it's graduation day at Hull University for 21-year-old Charlotte Parker from the Wirral.

"There just aren't any jobs around," she said.

"It does worry me because I think, 'Am I going to come back and just get a job I'm not interested in just so I can afford to live?'"

'Scary thought'

Charlotte's putting off getting a job for a couple of years to go travelling.

"I've worked so hard to get my degree and I'm going to work even harder to get my masters and then to have to settle for a job I don't really want to do, it's a bit of a scary thought.

"It's not something I'm looking forward too," she said.

Hull is not alone in its battle against youth unemployment.

Charlotte Parker is putting off getting a job so she can travel

Sunderland, Barnsley, Doncaster and Hastings all have high numbers of young people without work and on benefits too.

Other cities like Swindon, Milton Keynes and Northampton have seen a huge jump in the number of under-25s claiming JSA in the last year.

Dee Kundra, from the Prince's Trust, said: "Too many young people at the moment are facing a bleak future.

"The number of young people out of employment is costing the economy millions every week."

Under-25s now make up one in five of Britain's working population, but also make up two in five of the unemployed.

Dee added: "The Prince's Trust in the past 12 months has seen a 50% increase in the number of calls we're getting for help.

"So we can really tell the young people we help are being affected by this recession."

The number of young people out of work is at its highest level for 15 years.

Job creation

The government is investing £1bn in the Future Jobs Fund to create 150,000 new jobs for long-term unemployed young people between 2009-2011.

Jim Knight, the employment minister, said: "We're willing to put our money where our mouth is and make sure there is a real intervention from the government now rather than going back to the old days where unemployment was a price worth paying."

However, with long term youth unemployment expected to almost treble between now and 2011 there's a worry this new proposal may just act as a sticking plaster for the potential 350,000 young people out of work in just over two years time.

"Of course I'm worried about youth unemployment but the notion that there aren't any new jobs around is false," he added.

"There are quite a few jobs coming through, we've just got to make sure the young people are well placed to get them."

And for some people, like 17-year-old Lewis Valentine from Bridlington, it's all about perseverance. He works as a glass collector in a club in Hull.

He said: "It's not hard to get a job at all. There's loads of jobs out there, you just need to know where to look.

"If you just go for a part-time job and then go back to college, you're going in the right direction aren't you? If you really want to do it, you'll do it."