11,508 young people just told the UK what's broken. Here's what it means round here.

11,508 young people told Youth Employment UK how life, study and work actually feel.

Three findings stand out for anyone aged 16 to 25 in counties such as Essex and Suffolk.

Every year, Youth Employment UK asks young people aged 11 to 30 how life, study and work actually feel. This year's report runs to 72 pages. Here are the three bits that matter locally.

1. You haven't stopped trying

Ignore the headlines about a generation that won't work. Two thirds of 17–19-year-olds say applying for a job is their likely next step. Young people are volunteering, working alongside study and making plans. The ambition is there.

What's changed is how hard it feels to act on it. Only about a quarter think there are good-quality jobs nearby. Nearly a third rate local transport reliability as poor.

2. You've got the skills, but you can't prove them yet

This surprised us. Most young people feel fine about writing a CV (61%) and doing an interview (60%). Nearly half believe they have the right skills. And the skills they feel best about—teamwork, problem-solving and listening—are the same ones they say employers want.

Then the question changes to “Do you have suitable experience?” and confidence drops to 28%.

So you have plenty to offer. The trouble is that nobody's given you a way to show it. “Experience required” for a first job is a loop you can't break on your own, and the report is clear that it isn't your fault.

3. Employers are better than you think

Only 18% of young people believe employers are supportive of hiring people their age. But ask young people who are already in work and the picture changes:

• 67% say their employer is youth friendly
• 83% can talk to their manager about concerns
• 87% know what doing well looks like

Good employers exist, including small local ones. You just can't see them from where you're standing, and they can't see you either.

So what do we do with this?

September's theme here is Harvest Your Future, and this report sums up the snag: you can't harvest what you can't reach.

That's why we're building two things together:

1. 1.Budi is a strengths-first journey that helps you notice what you're good at, name it and turn it into proof an employer can understand. It doesn't test or score you. You go at your pace, and you decide what anyone sees.
2. 2.Our Ecosystem directory is where local small businesses show up as they really are, so you're not left guessing who would give you a chance.

We're starting close to home, in Essex and Suffolk, because local is where this gets fixed.

Source

• Youth Voice Census 2026, Youth Employment UK

Some figures come from smaller groups within the survey, such as young people who are already in work.