Half of young Britons consider moving abroad to find work
Young people across the UK are calling on government to do more to support them into good jobs, and many are considering moving abroad if none are available, according to a new poll by the John Smith Centre.
Only a third think government work support is good enough, while only 40% agree education prepared them well for the labour market.
Such is the difficulty of finding work, a half of young people in Britain say they have seriously considered moving abroad to get a job.
The survey, sponsored by Nationwide, comes ahead of the publication of the Milburn review into young people classified as ‘NEET’, which is expected to recommend wide-ranging reforms to support 16–25 year olds into work.
Nearly 1 million young people are NEET across the UK, according to the latest figures. Meanwhile, young people say they are finding it harder than ever to move into a job with some job websites showing a halving in graduate level jobs compared to this time last year.
Young people want to work, the poll found: 63% said they wanted to work full time, while 75% agreed that work led to being more respected.
But those not in work are losing faith they will do so: just a third of young people in the NEET category said they felt confident about finding a job, compared to 66% of those in work.
Eddie Barnes, Director of the John Smith Centre said:
“For far too many young people the first rungs on the career ladder are simply being knocked away. Our poll shows the consequences: a half of young people in Britain say they have seriously thought about moving abroad to find a job. Without action, this jobs crisis could lead to a youth exodus.”
“Our poll shows clearly that young people want to work – the claim by some that Gen Z are ‘shirkers’ is nonsense. That only makes it even more incumbent on government and our education system to help them find the jobs they deserve.”
“Alan Milburn’s forthcoming report on how to support the “NEET generation” young people into work cannot come a moment too soon. Mr Milburn has rightly called this issue a “moral crisis” and our poll shows that unemployed young people are twice as pessimistic about their job prospects than those in work.”
“The message from young people is very clear – replace the rungs on the ladder so we can get on.”
Lynn McManus, Group Chief People Officer at Nationwide said:
“These findings highlight the importance of creating more opportunities for young people. Employers, educators and policymakers all have a role to play, because young people will be central to driving the future growth and competitiveness of the UK economy.”
The John Smith Centre is grateful for the continued support of Nationwide in supporting our research.
THE POLL IN DETAIL
The survey was conducted by Focaldata, which interviewed a nationally representative sample of 523 16–29-year-olds across the UK between Tuesday 11th and Friday 14th August 2026.
- Q1 – How confident are you that you could find a new job right now, if you wanted or needed to?
- Q2 – How optimistic or pessimistic would you be about finding a job that matches your skills, abilities and qualifications?
- Q3 – "There is good support available from government institutions to help young people secure work."
- Q4 – "The education I received prepared me well to enter the world of work."
- Q5 – "I want to have a full time job right now (31+ hours per week)."
- Q6 – "People are more respected when they have a job."
- Q7 – "Having a job allows you to be financially independent and secure."
- Q8 – "Most people my age could find a job if they really wanted to."
- Q9 – "Politicians aren't interested in helping young people into work."
- Q10 – “I don't think I'll have a successful long-term career."
- Q11 – Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
- Q12 – "I have seriously considered moving abroad for better job opportunities."
- Q13 – "A university degree helps people achieve their long-term career and financial goals."
Q1 – How confident are you that you could find a new job right now, if you wanted or needed to?
Total:
- Confident – 58%
- Not confident – 39%
- Don’t know – 2%
66% of those who are currently employed are confident they could find a new job, compared to only 35% of NEETs.
Q2 – How optimistic or pessimistic would you be about finding a job that matches your skills, abilities and qualifications?
- Optimistic – 58%
- Pessimistic – 38%
- Don’t know – 4%
Q3 – "There is good support available from government institutions to help young people secure work."
- Agree – 32%
- Disagree – 42%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 24%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q4 – "The education I received prepared me well to enter the world of work."
- Agree – 41%
- Disagree – 39%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 20%
Q5 – "I want to have a full time job right now (31+ hours per week)."
- Agree – 63%
- Disagree – 18%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 17%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q6 – "People are more respected when they have a job."
- Agree – 75%
- Disagree – 7%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 16%
- Don’t know – 1%
Q7 – "Having a job allows you to be financially independent and secure."
- Agree – 78%
- Disagree – 8%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 13%
Q8 – "Most people my age could find a job if they really wanted to."
- Agree – 41%
- Disagree – 38%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 21%
Q9 – "Politicians aren't interested in helping young people into work."
- Agree – 60%
- Disagree – 15%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 23%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q10 – “I don't think I'll have a successful long-term career."
- Agree – 29%
- Disagree – 46%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 23%
- Don’t know – 1%
Q11 – Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
- “Welfare benefits mainly provide a safety net for young people who cannot work or face serious barriers to finding a job” – 62%
- “Welfare benefits mainly make it easy for young people who could work to rely on benefits rather than find a job” – 38%
Q12 – "I have seriously considered moving abroad for better job opportunities."
- Agree – 49%
- Disagree – 29%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 20%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q13 – "A university degree helps people achieve their long-term career and financial goals."
- Agree – 47%
- Disagree – 29%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 23%
- Don’t know – 2%
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Half of young Britons consider moving abroad to find work
Young people across the UK are calling on government to do more to support them into good jobs, and many are considering moving abroad if none are available, according to a new poll by the John Smith Centre.
Only a third think government work support is good enough, while only 40% agree education prepared them well for the labour market.
Such is the difficulty of finding work, a half of young people in Britain say they have seriously considered moving abroad to get a job.
The survey, sponsored by Nationwide, comes ahead of the publication of the Milburn review into young people classified as ‘NEET’, which is expected to recommend wide-ranging reforms to support 16–25 year olds into work.
Nearly 1 million young people are NEET across the UK, according to the latest figures. Meanwhile, young people say they are finding it harder than ever to move into a job with some job websites showing a halving in graduate level jobs compared to this time last year.
Young people want to work, the poll found: 63% said they wanted to work full time, while 75% agreed that work led to being more respected.
But those not in work are losing faith they will do so: just a third of young people in the NEET category said they felt confident about finding a job, compared to 66% of those in work.
Eddie Barnes, Director of the John Smith Centre said:
“For far too many young people the first rungs on the career ladder are simply being knocked away. Our poll shows the consequences: a half of young people in Britain say they have seriously thought about moving abroad to find a job. Without action, this jobs crisis could lead to a youth exodus.”
“Our poll shows clearly that young people want to work – the claim by some that Gen Z are ‘shirkers’ is nonsense. That only makes it even more incumbent on government and our education system to help them find the jobs they deserve.”
“Alan Milburn’s forthcoming report on how to support the “NEET generation” young people into work cannot come a moment too soon. Mr Milburn has rightly called this issue a “moral crisis” and our poll shows that unemployed young people are twice as pessimistic about their job prospects than those in work.”
“The message from young people is very clear – replace the rungs on the ladder so we can get on.”
Lynn McManus, Group Chief People Officer at Nationwide said:
“These findings highlight the importance of creating more opportunities for young people. Employers, educators and policymakers all have a role to play, because young people will be central to driving the future growth and competitiveness of the UK economy.”
The John Smith Centre is grateful for the continued support of Nationwide in supporting our research.
THE POLL IN DETAIL
The survey was conducted by Focaldata, which interviewed a nationally representative sample of 523 16–29-year-olds across the UK between Tuesday 11th and Friday 14th August 2026.
- Q1 – How confident are you that you could find a new job right now, if you wanted or needed to?
- Q2 – How optimistic or pessimistic would you be about finding a job that matches your skills, abilities and qualifications?
- Q3 – "There is good support available from government institutions to help young people secure work."
- Q4 – "The education I received prepared me well to enter the world of work."
- Q5 – "I want to have a full time job right now (31+ hours per week)."
- Q6 – "People are more respected when they have a job."
- Q7 – "Having a job allows you to be financially independent and secure."
- Q8 – "Most people my age could find a job if they really wanted to."
- Q9 – "Politicians aren't interested in helping young people into work."
- Q10 – “I don't think I'll have a successful long-term career."
- Q11 – Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
- Q12 – "I have seriously considered moving abroad for better job opportunities."
- Q13 – "A university degree helps people achieve their long-term career and financial goals."
Q1 – How confident are you that you could find a new job right now, if you wanted or needed to?
Total:
- Confident – 58%
- Not confident – 39%
- Don’t know – 2%
66% of those who are currently employed are confident they could find a new job, compared to only 35% of NEETs.
Q2 – How optimistic or pessimistic would you be about finding a job that matches your skills, abilities and qualifications?
- Optimistic – 58%
- Pessimistic – 38%
- Don’t know – 4%
Q3 – "There is good support available from government institutions to help young people secure work."
- Agree – 32%
- Disagree – 42%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 24%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q4 – "The education I received prepared me well to enter the world of work."
- Agree – 41%
- Disagree – 39%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 20%
Q5 – "I want to have a full time job right now (31+ hours per week)."
- Agree – 63%
- Disagree – 18%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 17%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q6 – "People are more respected when they have a job."
- Agree – 75%
- Disagree – 7%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 16%
- Don’t know – 1%
Q7 – "Having a job allows you to be financially independent and secure."
- Agree – 78%
- Disagree – 8%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 13%
Q8 – "Most people my age could find a job if they really wanted to."
- Agree – 41%
- Disagree – 38%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 21%
Q9 – "Politicians aren't interested in helping young people into work."
- Agree – 60%
- Disagree – 15%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 23%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q10 – “I don't think I'll have a successful long-term career."
- Agree – 29%
- Disagree – 46%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 23%
- Don’t know – 1%
Q11 – Which of the following statements comes closest to your view?
- “Welfare benefits mainly provide a safety net for young people who cannot work or face serious barriers to finding a job” – 62%
- “Welfare benefits mainly make it easy for young people who could work to rely on benefits rather than find a job” – 38%
Q12 – "I have seriously considered moving abroad for better job opportunities."
- Agree – 49%
- Disagree – 29%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 20%
- Don’t know – 2%
Q13 – "A university degree helps people achieve their long-term career and financial goals."
- Agree – 47%
- Disagree – 29%
- Neither agree nor disagree – 23%
- Don’t know – 2%
For inquiries about this polling, please contact our Centre Director Eddie Barnes.
