New report reveals the challenges UK job seekers are facing and what needs to be addressed to get more people back into work
UK charity, Christians Against Poverty (CAP), which runs face-to-face job clubs in communities across the UK, is revealing the barriers preventing many from working.
CAP’s latest report on barriers into work has identified the challenges people face with confidence, self-esteem, and lack of skills, which can be further exacerbated by the experience of unemployment itself.
Barriers into work:
- Confidence & self-esteem: A quarter (24%) of adults not currently in work say that a lack of confidence and self-esteem has made it difficult for them to enter employment in the past two years.
- Unsuccessful applications: Around 9 million UK adults report having been unsuccessful in 10 or more job applications in the past 12 months.
- Experience & skills: 14% think that they do not have enough experience to be successful at getting a role. 10% think that they do not currently have the necessary skills they need for work.
Negative impacts of unemployment:
- Half (49%) of unemployed people say being out of work is having a negative impact on their mental health.
But there is hope. 2 in 5 (39%) say that they would find in-person support to get into work helpful and communities across the UK are already delivering this. CAP job clubs, in partnership with local churches, are providing free person-centred support for people on their journey into work.
Amy was supported back into work by her local CAP Job Club,
After losing my job at a nursery, I was left paying high bills all on just £500 a month from Universal Credit. I often went days without eating, as going without food was the only ‘affordable’ thing to cut.
“Losing my job had completely destroyed my self-worth. The CAP Job Club was incredibly welcoming, and it was the first place where people actually saw my strengths. It helped me realise I do have worth and that someone cares about my success.
The sessions gave me the confidence to apply for jobs again. I now work full-time. I owe so much to the job club for helping me to break out of that shell and become the confident person I am today.
Report author, Kiri Adams, says, “For many, the job market isn’t a ladder—it’s a fortress with the drawbridge raised. Millions are drowning in a moat of rejection and red tape, locked out by a broken system that wastes the UK’s greatest resource: its people.
“CAP Job Clubs prove that personal investment and care and support makes a big impact in helping people to thrive. By offering face-to-face encouragement and skills training, we rebuild the confidence people need to lower that bridge, overcome barriers, and return to work with purpose.”
ENDS
