An urgent need to act
Across the UK, youth unemployment has become a growing concern; between September -November 2025 there were 729,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who were unemployed, 103,000 more than the previous year. Over the course of one year, the youth unemployment rate rose from 14.4% to 15.9%.
Within parts of the West Midlands, youth unemployment in some parts of the region is more than double the UK average. In Birmingham, the largest city in the West Midlands, 40% of residents are under 25 giving the region the youngest age profile in the UK outside London. This demonstrates an even more urgent need to act on youth unemployment locally.
For young people, seeking work is often a case of trying to navigate multiple hurdles including limited work experience, fewer local opportunities, and challenges navigating job‑search systems.
Mohammed's experience
Young people newly arrived in the UK face additional unique barriers to employment opportunities, as discussed by one of the Refugee and Migrant Centre’s (RMC) coaches, Mohammed:
Mohammed, RMC Employment and Education Coach
“I’ve been an Employment and Education Coach at RMC since June 2025. Previously, I worked for National Career Service, on apprenticeship programs and as an English teacher, so I’ve worked with many young jobseekers through my career.
For young jobseekers, the main barrier is often confidence; many are applying for their first jobs after college and are unprepared for how competitive the UK job market is. It can be daunting for them to attend their first job interviews ever; they may not feel confident to talk to the interview panel or ask them questions, which can make it more challenging if they speak English as a second language.
Young adults newly arrived in the UK struggle with many other barriers too; some will already have qualifications and work histories abroad, but often their certificates are not recognised in the UK and, even with entry-level jobs, employers are now looking for a UK-based work history.”
Among 16–24‑year‑olds supported by RMC in 2025, 89% spoke English as a second language
In late 2024, the UK moved to a fully electronic visa system, requiring people who have migrated to manage an online ‘eVisa’. Many 16–24‑year‑old jobseekers struggle with this and often find errors on their accounts, making it difficult to prove their right to work and causing them to be turned away from jobs.As the UK continues to face economic uncertainty, the need for effective youth employment support grows. Ensuring that young people can access training, opportunities, and stable work is becoming increasingly urgent.
How is RMC addressing Youth Unemployment in the West Midlands?
RMC is committed to supporting young people into work. Support includes building skills, creating opportunities to gain experience, addressing barriers, and preparing young people for interviews, along with help with job searching, CVs, careers guidance and accessing volunteering placements
Here are some of the ways RMC supported young people in 2025:
97 beneficiaries aged 16-24 were supported with careers advice, job seeking, interview technique and preparing CVs
39 volunteers aged 16-24 were recruited by RMC
22 work placements were provided by RMC for students aged 16-24
RMC additionally offers its own in-house volunteering opportunities and supports students in completing the work experience requirements needed for their university courses in our own offices
RMC’s offer a range of wrap-around assistance to break down the barriers that prevent young job applicants from entering the workplace.
“As well as helping young people look for opportunities, I go through interview techniques, talk about what to expect and ensure they understand their rights and options. Something as simple as knowing that it’s okay, and common, to ask an interview panel to repeat or rephrase a question can be the difference between getting a job or not.
At RMC, we provide additional support with barriers; I refer young people to our in-house English classes and help them register for volunteering opportunities to build up their work history. I also empower to work on their career plans independently in future; after working with me, they will understand how to research careers, salaries, job opportunities and the essential skills they need to move into the career they want.” – Mohammed, RMC Employment and Education Coach
In 2025, RMC provided the below wrap-around support for young adults aged 16-24:
341
Young adults were up-skilled to use their eVisas and UKVI online accounts
43
Young adults (16-24) enrolled in RMC in-house ESOL classes
81
Young adults supported to access their National Insurance Numbers
The outcome of targeted support for young adults
RMC know young people who have migrated are keen and ready to contribute to the economy, and with the right support, they can thrive in the UK workforce. Supporting young people to work through the barriers they are facing helps them build up the skills, confidence and self-esteem needed to begin their careers.
Hamza*, an RMC beneficiary in his early 20s discusses his experience of working with his RMC Employment Coach below:
“[At RMC] I met Rad who became my Employment Coach. I knew I was ready to work, but I wasn’t looking in the right places when it came to jobs, and my CV wasn’t up to standard.
He helped me with my CV and taught me how to format it correctly to match specific jobs. He also helped me to understand how to do better in interviews by thinking about the questions they might ask in advance, helping me to prepare some answers, and to have some information ready to tell the panel about myself. I prepared some answers and got my script ready; the interviewer liked my answers, and I got a job in a sales position.
Since then, I got promoted; as a results-focused person this feels great. The industry I work in has lots of opportunities, I’m hoping to be in a management role soon.
Rad helped me out so much, he was super supportive through the whole journey. It would take me hours to list all that he helped me with. He’s got great listening skills, and he understood exactly what I needed help with.”
Our commitment
RMC is committed to continuing our work with young people seeking employment in 2026, giving them the tools skills and experience they need to thrive in future. The impact of RMC’s employability services demonstrates the ongoing need for funded, targeted support that strengthens young people’s confidence, expands their opportunities, and contributes to lowering youth unemployment.
*names have been changed for confidentiality purposes
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