At a Walsall Council meeting held yesterday by the Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the latest figures show that youth unemployment in Walsall is almost twice the national average.
Though it was noted that progress had been made between 2000 and 2020, recent statistics show that youngsters not in education, employment and training (NEET) are rising.
The current UK average is 5%, while the rate in the borough of Walsall stands at 9.2% (2,060 aged between 18-24). The highest area of youth unemployment in the West Midlands is in Wolverhampton (10.9%).
The figure for Walsall is up 11.4% compared to the previous year.
From the minutes:
“In addition, recent increases in economic inactivity have been driven largely by young people, many of whom are inactive because of health-related reasons. The picture is even more stark for young people in our most deprived wards, and furthermore for those with particular characteristics, including care leavers, young offenders, young people with disabilities and some ethnic minorities.
On skills levels, 16,400 of the working age population have no qualifications in Walsall requiring 5,693 to be upskilled to meet regional averages. At a higher level, only 27.2% or 46,900 of Walsall residents possess a NVQ Level 4+.”
Walsall Council plans to work alongside the WMCA as well as training providers, employers and partners to help develop solutions.