London has the highest rate of youth unemployment in the country.
Between November 2025 and January 2026, 24.6 per cent of
Londoners aged between 16 and 24 were unemployed, compared with
the next highest region (North East) on 23.5 per cent.[1]
The reasons for London's continuing high levels of youth
unemployment are complex and multi-faceted.
The number of traditional entry-level jobs has declined steeply
over the last three years - administrative roles are down 56 per
cent, sales roles are down 44 per cent, and customer service
roles are down 59 per cent.[2]
Alongside this, the retail sector, which traditionally employs a
large number of young people, has been eroded by the rise in
online shopping.
The Economy, Culture and Skills Committee will
meet tomorrow to investigate the state of
London's jobs market for young people, including the reasons why
youth unemployment remains high in London, and what external
factors are affecting employment opportunities.
The guests are:
Panel 1: Overview of youth unemployment (14:00
15:30):
-
Asli Atay, Senior Policy Adviser, Work
Foundation
-
Baz Ramaiah, Policy and Research Director,
Youth Employment UK
-
Ben Rowland, CEO, Association of Employment
and Learning Providers (AELP)
Panel 2: Poverty, inequality and the impact on youth
unemployment (15:35 17:00):
-
Felicity Halstead, Founder and CEO,
GoodWork
-
Ayesha Baloch, Head of Youth Employment
Policy, Impetus
-
Melissa Milner, Chief Officer for Culture and
Public Service Reform, Catch22
The meeting will take place on Thursday 8
October from 2pm, in the Chamber at
City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Notes for editors:
- BBC News, 'I've been
rejected from 500 jobs' - young people speak about job
struggles, 16 March 2026
- Trust for London, Unemployment is rising among
young people in London what's going on?, 4 December 2025
- Youth unemployment is defined as the proportion of
economically active population aged between 16 and 24 who are
unemployed and actively looking for work.
- Read the agenda in
full.
