Young People's Future Health Inquiry

The quality of work on offer to young people and how it supports the building blocks for a healthy life

Good quality work is supportive of good health and wellbeing, while poor quality and insecure work can have negative impacts. The Young People’s Future Health Inquiry has therefore been examining changes in young people’s experiences of employment as one factor that could have a strong bearing on future health outcomes.

This research report seeks to provide an evidence base for that work – exploring the employment opportunities and working conditions for young people today, how these vary by area and by personal characteristics, and how they have changed over the past 20 years. It then makes recommendations for future policy and practice.

The research comprises analysis of the Quarterly Labour Force Survey, complemented by findings from a focus group with young people who were drawn from the four UK nations and who had a variety of socio-economic and educational backgrounds, and a roundtable with young people and experts.