81% of Employers are Reluctant to Employ Young Workers for fear of Irresponsibility and Inexperience

Peninsula, the UKís largest employment law firm released figures today which discovered that more employers are reluctant to employ employees of a younger age because of a lack of experience and knowledge. The survey found that 81% of employers polled would be hesitant in employing inexperienced youngsters to vacant positions and 76% of employers think that that employing employees from the ages of 16 ñ 18 would be a liability to their business. The biggest influence in the recruiterís decision would be a young candidateís lack of experience with 46% of the employers claiming it to be the biggest pitfall for recruiting young employees.

The survey polled 486 employers across a wide range of industries in the UK.

Would you as an employer be reluctant to employ a candidate aged between 16 ñ 18 years old?

Yes ñ 81%
No ñ 19%

Do you think employing a worker between the ages of 16 ñ 18 years would be a liability to your business?

Yes ñ 76%
No ñ 24%

Which characteristic would be the biggest factor for not employing a candidate between the ages of 16 ñ 18 years?

Irresponsibility ñ 25%
Inexperience ñ 46%
Lack of Knowledge - 11%
Poor Tardiness ñ 2%
Lack of Skills - 16%



Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula provides quote and comment:

There is a tendency for employers to disregard younger employees as liabilities to their business. This is a dangerous thought pattern for a business to have as to dismiss younger candidates as irresponsible and unsuitable to your business means that all the benefits of employing younger candidates will be lost. These benefits may include a fresh approach to business, with new ideas and thoughts being brought to the business, with a naivety to some aspects of operations, which could be beneficial to the business.

There is also the very likely prospect of loyalty to your business with employing younger candidates. With enough incentive and opportunity provided by an employer, a younger candidate would be determined to aim for goals at a business, which in turn will reward the business in the long run with a more dedicated and most importantly loyal staff.

The major headache for businesses these days is the massive turnover of staff which disrupts a businesses natural progression with maintained staff who understands the businessís culture. So employing younger candidates and providing the correct environment for them to be nurtured and incorporated in the operations would certainly eliminate any fears of lack of responsibility and experience.

Obviously employers will always naturally opt to recruit the most ideal candidates to their team but employers must eliminate this stigma attached to young candidates to more responsible roles in the business. Employers must observe the benefits as well as the negatives of recruiting younger employees. With recruitment employers must always remember that there is always two sides to the coin and these must be observed in order to make the best decisions for any business.