Unemployment in Essex

Two Essex graduates reveal their struggles to find jobs as official figures show that youth unemployment is at its highest in 27 years.

Ashley Hammond, 24, Broomfield, has just completed a Master’s at The University of Exeter but is still hunting for work.

Stepping out of the job centre, Mr Hammond said: “It’s the civil engineering area that’s a problem. I’ve literally watched the jobs dry up. I’m basically just looking for anything to tie me over for now because the graduate placement scheme opens up more or less in January time.”

“The thing is, as soon as they see my MSC they just think, oh he’s only going to be here for a month so they won’t take me on for bar work.”

Statistics produced last week showed that youth unemployment has soared with 21.9% of 18-24 year-olds now claiming Job Seekers Allowance in Essex.

5.9% of Chelmsford is claiming JSA which is only marginally lower than the 6.0% in Maldon and the 7.2% in Braintree, which has considerably risen overall in the past year.

These statistics reflect upon the struggle that youths are having in finding permanent full-time work, particularly University students so it seems who have only recently graduated.

In the five months since Mr Hammond graduated, he said the Job Centre Plus, in Chelmsford, had been helpful in his search for work.

He said: “I’ve been sent to a work referral programme and I’ve got a provisional job at the Royal Mail in the sorting office starting at the end of this month.”

The Royal Mail received a staggering 110,000 applications for just 18,000 part-time Christmas jobs.

Mr Hammond added: “Most companies are promoting from within so they’re not taking on other people. I’ve told companies that I’d be willing to work for free, just for experience and as a way in.”

Mike Still, 22, Maldon, is currently working part-time at Topshop/Topman, Chelmsford, in order to fund a season long internship at Southend Utd FC.

Mr Still said: “I have struggled to find work in my ideal career due to high competition and employers requiring experience, which I was unable to gain whilst at University.

”Graduates are over qualified to work in jobs which don't require higher qualifications, so they find themselves in a situation where they're stuck in the middle.”

“Employers can save time and effort by recruiting someone they already know rather than advertising and interviewing for a position, and they can also have a better idea of what they will receive from that person as an employee.”

“Part of me thinks I should just get any full time job just to earn a consistent, guaranteed wage like many of my friends who didn't attend university, but who have been working for 4-5 years and have a decent amount of money behind them.”