Most young job hunters are being turned down due to a lack of experience

young workers being productive in an office meeting
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff)

New research has claimed young job seekers are caught in a Catch-22 situation, as they are being routinely rejected from jobs that would net them experience - because of a lack of experience. 

A new survey from Virgin Media O2 has found that 74% of 25-34-year-olds looking for work in the UK have been turned down from entry-level roles as they don't have the experience necessary.

Over three-quarters (77%) of Brits believe work experience is important even for starter roles, and 72% believe it's harder now to attain such roles than in the past. 64% also believe that job criteria is more strict compared to when they started out. 

Losing hope

Over a quarter (28%) of those surveyed believe that without prior experience, it is next to impossible to gain an entry-level job. 

Virgin Media O2 believes that the findings help to explain why the number of those Not in Education, Employment, or Training - known as NEETs - has increased by 1.3% year-on-year for those between 16-18 years-old, putting them at the highest level since 2012.

Karen Handley, Head Future Careers at the company, commented, "it’s wrong that many talented young people are being overlooked for entry-level roles because they don’t have prior experience – it’s creating unnecessary barriers for people starting out in their career." 

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Lewis Maddison
Reviews Writer

Lewis Maddison is a Reviews Writer for TechRadar. He previously worked as a Staff Writer for our business section, TechRadar Pro, where he had experience with productivity-enhancing hardware, ranging from keyboards to standing desks. His area of expertise lies in computer peripherals and audio hardware, having spent over a decade exploring the murky depths of both PC building and music production. He also revels in picking up on the finest details and niggles that ultimately make a big difference to the user experience.