Third of young people 'can't afford to find a job'

Two out of five young people can't afford to buy smart clothes for interviews

Unemployed young people have to choose between buying food and staying warm because they can't afford both, according to a youth charity.

The Prince's Trust say one in three 16 to 24-year-olds are being forced to cut back to make ends meet.

The charity claims the UK could lose thousands of future plumbers and teachers because young people don't have enough support.

The government says it's "determined" to help young people through the recession.

'Undiscovered generation'

The Prince's Trust spoke to more than 1,000 young people who said they were finding it difficult to get a job because of money problems.

Martina Milburn, chief executive of the charity, said: "Every one of Britain's unemployed young people has skills and talents that could make a real difference to this country.

"Only by investing in young people can we ensure this undiscovered generation isn't lost forever."

The survey questioned people between the ages of 16 and 24 and revealed the majority of young people wanted to work, but needed more support from the government.

Two out of five young people said they could not afford to buy smart clothes for job interviews and more than a half thought they would never own their own home.

Less optimistic

People who were unemployed for more than a year were also less optimistic about the future, according to the study.

The long-term unemployed were twice as likely to fear they would "never amount to anything" and three times as likely to think they did not have any skills or talents.

Employment minister Jim Knight said the government was investing money and continuing to support and expand programmes to get young people into work.