"I'd Rather Stay Unemployed Than Earn Less Than 76 Million Won"... UK Youth Opt to Remain Inactive

In the House of Lords, a job counselor says:
"Young people are not interested in jobs paying less than 40,000 pounds"

As the United Kingdom faces a serious youth unemployment problem, claims have emerged that "young people are not willing to apply for jobs that pay less than 40,000 pounds (approximately 76.67 million won) a year."

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According to recent reports from British media outlets such as the Daily Express, Graham Cowley, a job counselor who works with young people who are not in employment, education, or training, stated in the House of Lords on April 24 (local time) that "unemployed youth who are online 24 hours a day do not want to work for an annual salary of less than 40,000 pounds."

Some members of the House of Lords Social Mobility Committee expressed skepticism about this statement. In response, Cowley said, "I had the same reaction," adding, "You may laugh, but that is the reality." He continued, "If we can reach out to them earlier and instill the idea that they need to make changes to get what they want in life, I believe such efforts are truly valuable."

David Leonard Watts, a member of the House of Lords, explained, "Young people are not foolish," adding, "If they think there is no future because of low income, it is highly likely that they will eventually lower their aspirations."

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as of July to September last year, the number of NEETs (young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in employment, education, or training and are not seeking work) reached 946,000. The media reported that this is the highest figure since 2013, when the UK had not yet recovered from the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

There is considerable debate in the UK regarding the increase in NEETs. Mel Stride, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, previously pointed to pornography and online gaming as reasons for the sharp rise in unemployment among young men when he served as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions last year. Statistics show that the majority of NEETs are male, accounting for 550,000 out of the total 946,000.

Meanwhile, most NEETs are currently classified as economically inactive, meaning they are not seeking employment. The majority of young NEETs in the UK fall into the economically inactive category (595,000). Of the total, 392,000 are unemployed but are actively seeking work.