BRITAIN’S poorest youngsters will be hardest hit by the recession as unemployment spikes and local youth services suffer cuts, a report warns today.
The number of under-25s claiming Jobseekers Allowance has risen 80% to more than 450,000 in the past year, costing the UK more than £23m a week in benefits.
In some parts of Britain – such as Merthyr Tydfil, in South Wales, and Wansbeck, in Northumberland – one-in-six young people are claiming Jobseekers Allowance.
Youth charities may struggle to cope with the spiralling demand in deprived areas, according to the report published by The Prince’s Trust and the Cass Business School.
Martina Milburn, chief executive for The Prince’s Trust, said: “We need to help young people into jobs – only with their ideas and creativity will we be able to pull ourselves out of the recession.”
