Economic inactivity of young people aged 16-24: Definition, reasons and potential future focus

Potential future research

Given the gaps presented, future research could provide further understanding about inactive young people:

1. Development of research with intersectionality and cumulative effects as the focus.

Intersectionality has been defined as a way to refer to how multiple categories, events, or forms can shape and influence an individual’s experiences of inequality through a compound effect (Scottish Government, 2022). A recent report published by the Scottish Government explores the specific value of intersectionality for both analysts and policymakers (Using intersectionality to understand structural inequality in Scotland: Evidence synthesis).

When thinking of inactivity and the data presented earlier, intersectional data could be of use when it comes to better understanding the characteristics of this cohort and what can be influencing young people’s economic inactivity. Some examples of intersectional analysis were presented in Table 9. Further intersectionality analysis in the APS data would be limited by low sample sizes which could result in unreliable estimates. Additionally, with the change of reason presented earlier (i.e. from caring responsibilities to long-term sickness), it could also be helpful to further explore the role that disability plays in reports of long-term sickness.

Aiming to collect data that would allow for further intersectionality between the data would be of use to have a better insight into the characteristics and risk factors that are leading to young people’s economic inactivity.

2. Maximise the use of existing projects and data sets

In order to have a better understanding of the labour market in general, it would be relevant to maximise the use of existing data. One example of this would be using the Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) to further understand young people’s destinations. This dataset offers the possibility of exploring sustainable employment of the target cohort of this report and could offer further insights into the labour market more widely.

Similarly, it would be helpful to use data collected through ongoing projects to provide a more comprehensive description of the labour market. For example, the ongoing Student Finance and Wellbeing Study (due to report in 2024) will offer further context on employment, financial hardship and reasons for having a job during the completion of a course.

3. Explore the possibility of future qualitative research.

The majority of the Scottish evidence presented earlier is based on quantitative analysis. Though this is a great mechanism to understand the scale and scope of possible connections between variables, concepts and elements, further in-depth understanding within this cohort would be beneficial. The use of qualitative research where in-depth individual and/or group experiences are discussed could develop understandings of the day to day and structural barriers that this cohort of young people are facing by exploring the underlying reasons for their behaviours and experiences.

A qualitative approach would be useful to explore elements such as:

• Health-related reasons. The data presented does not offer further exploration of health related reasons and outcomes that young people who are economically inactive experience. This is of particular importance when considering the impact of mental illness, as it could be argued that this is one of the key factors that influences people’s decisions to either engage or not with the labour market. Similarly, little is known from the evidence presented in this report of the direction of this impact – is mental health influencing non-participation or the other way around? Mental illness could be seen as an overarching factor that effects young people inactivity levels – more evidence on this relationship would be beneficial.
• Socioeconomic factors. Further exploring elements such as household income, location (e.g. rurality) and use of benefits could help to better understand young people’s experiences of inactivity. For example, studying how young people support themselves in case of prolonged inactivity – does this include the use of benefits? Similarly, comparing between the experiences of young people from urban and rural areas, and within the same area, and the extent to which these barriers are similar or different, could offer a deeper understanding of what it is needed moving forward to support this cohort.
• Individual characteristics. Further research on gender differences as most of the academic literature focuses on women, would be helpful. Additionally, it would be of use to have further insight into previous history of work (e.g. if the individual worked before, what is the reason for not working now and in what way can that previous experience influence the decision to work in the future) and how this relates to current inactivity circumstances.
• Knowledge of the education system and opportunities available. As research shows, young people might not be aware of the opportunities available to them. The introduction of this element would allow for a better understanding of alternative reasons and barriers faced by this cohort. It is possible that young people in this cohort may report lower knowledge of the education system.
• Aspirations, encouragement/ discouragement and confidence. The data presented in this paper does not mention the aspirations of this cohort. Due to their own personal circumstances and their experiences, young people might express low educational and work aspirations which could be influencing their economic activity, and potentially their confidence. SDS (2023) has recently published evidence exploring young people’s ambitions and what factors might be at play. However, this does not offer a full picture and qualitative in-depth research might help fill in the gaps.

Finally, qualitative research could also help to mitigate the gap in intersectional evidence by exploring in-depth connections between elements for both individual and in-group experiences. Further research could provide a framework for exploring the intersectionality of each risk factor and negative experience and the impact it has had on young people’s inactivity. Also, this could help to explore and build a deeper understanding of the intersectionality of the negative elements and barriers to young people’s active participation in education, employment or training.