Young people want jobs but cannot find them

Many young people between 16 and 24 years old do not have jobs, education, or training. It is harder than ever to find work.

Published 11 June 2026 117 words
SOCIETY A1
Young people want jobs but cannot find them

Thomas is 24 years old. He does not go out much. He feels sad because he cannot find a job. He has applied for about 2,000 jobs but has not got one. He gets a small amount of money each month to live on. He has very little money for food or fun.

Many young people like Thomas cannot find work. About 1 million people in the UK between 16 and 24 are not working, studying, or training. This is a big problem.

Thomas says that finding a job is very hard now. He used to work in a pub. He also worked in a warehouse. Now, he cannot get a job. He thinks it is difficult to start a normal life. He wants to meet friends and eat good food. He wants to do normal things.

Vocabulary

job — work that you do to earn money
money — coins or paper that are used to buy things
train — to learn skills for a job or activity
problem — a thing that is difficult to solve
difficult — hard to do or understand

Discussion Questions

  1. Why does Thomas feel sad?
  2. How many young people in the UK do not have jobs, education, or training?
  3. What does Thomas want to do to have a normal life?

Based on an article from The Guardian.

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