Rising anxiety, depression and reliance on technology are making it harder for young people to adapt to the modern workforce, a UK government adviser has warned. Alan Milburn will tell government and business that flexible working arrangements and appropriate mental health support can bring long-term economic benefits, especially as the number of economically inactive 16 to 24-year-olds continues to rise.Milburn’s interim report into youth inactivity examined the impact of social media, changing work expectations and mental health on the growing number of young people outside education and employment, The Guardian reported.Milburn, a former health secretary under Tony Blair, was tasked last year by Prime Minister Keir Starmer with investigating why nearly a million young people in the UK fell into the “NEET” category, which refers to those who are not in education, employment or training.Milburn believes in the report that companies and organizations need to understand how digital culture is changing the younger generation. Smartphones and social media have changed the way young people communicate, cope with stress and work, he said.“The system puts people into unemployment rather than getting them into work,” Milburn told The Times. “We risk losing an entire generation.”Milburn also described what he calls the “bedroom generation,” whose members spend most of their time online and away from traditional work environments.“This is the bedroom generation. They kind of live in their bedroom. They’re always open; they never close the door. [Social media] Leading to some evidence of dysfunction, changes in their sleep patterns and concentration levels. This has an impact on their ability to work,” he said.He dismissed criticism that young workers lacked resilience.“They are not snowflakes. People say this is a soft generation. My view is unequivocally not. This is an anxious generation,” he said.According to government statistics, more than half of the UK’s 946,000 NEET people have never worked before. The data also shows that around a quarter of young people have a long-term illness or disability that prevents them from working. Of these, nearly 43% cited mental health issues as a reason for leaving the labor force, compared with 24% in 2011.Officials also noted that inactivity among young people in the UK remains higher than in several similar countries. Research shows a link between unemployment in early adulthood and lower wages in later life.Milburn’s report stated: “[Young people] It’s different, not worse, not lazier, not less smart. They have grown up in a digital world that has changed the way they communicate, build relationships and manage stress. They have less work experience and higher levels of anxiety and depression. “The report comes as UK immigration plummets after reaching a record high in 2022. Milburn said businesses could recruit from large numbers of inactive young people if they were given the right support and training.Last week, former headteacher and government adviser Peter Heyman said in the Guardian that schools were increasingly forcing vulnerable young people out of employment for long periods of time. He also called for urgent reforms, including restricting access to social media for minors.
