There’s a story we tell ourselves about unemployment. It goes something like this:
If you want a job, you apply.
If you apply enough, you’ll get one.
If you don’t… well, you must not be trying hard enough.
It’s neat. It’s simple. It’s also wildly detached from reality.
Because for a lot of people across the UK, finding work isn’t a straight road. It’s a maze. And the problem isn’t that people aren’t walking through it… it’s that the walls keep moving.
The catch-22 nobody admits is real
Let’s start with the classic trap: skills and experience.
10%
of unemployed adults said they lacked the skills needed to get work
14%
of unemployed adults said a lack of experience was the thing holding them back
That might sound small until you remember: that’s not a minor inconvenience. That’s a locked gate.
Because what do you do when the job needs experience, but the only way to get experience is to get the job?
And it’s not just about technical ability. It’s about confidence to even try. Without training opportunities, tailored support or a realistic route into work (like structured placements or employer-led entry pathways), many people aren’t failing – they’re being filtered out before they even get a chance.
A more effective approach could be one that treats employability like a pipeline, not a test: clearer stepping-stones into work, practical training that matches real vacancies, and routes for employers to take chances on people without ‘perfect CVs’.
Confidence isn’t fluffy – it’s a barrier
We don’t talk about confidence much in policy debates. Maybe because it sounds a bit… soft. A bit of ‘self-help’.
But in the real world, confidence is the thing that gets you through the door.
24%
of unemployed adults said low confidence made it harder to find work
And once you’ve applied and applied and heard nothing back – not even a rejection – the silence starts doing its own kind of damage. You stop thinking ‘I didn’t get this job’ and start thinking ‘I’m not employable’.
This is where a more effective approach could be surprisingly simple: normalising feedback, improving communication, and building in encouragement and guidance (not just compliance).
Mental health: not a side issue, not a weakness
Here’s where the story gets even more serious, because for many people, the barrier isn’t their CV. It’s their health.
Our report also found that:
56%
of adults with a mental health condition said it reduced their ability to work full-time
48%
of unemployed respondents said depression or anxiety had made finding work difficult.
That’s not ‘feeling a bit down’. That’s life-limiting.
And this is where stigma becomes its own barrier. Mental health is still too often treated as less ‘real’ than physical health. Depression and anxiety can be as disruptive as a mobility condition, and the exhausting part is that people often have to prove their struggle is legitimate, even while they’re trying to survive it.
A more effective approach could start with the basics: treating mental health as equally valid, designing workplaces that allow flexibility, and offering personalised employment support that doesn’t punish people for having fluctuating capacity.
And even when you get a job… the story doesn’t always end well
This is the bit that doesn’t fit the neat narrative: employment isn’t always an exit from poverty.
For some, the jobs available are insecure, low-paid, or inflexible. The result? You’re ‘in work’ but still choosing between essentials. Or you’re in a role that collapses after a few months because it was never sustainable in the first place.
If work is meant to be the route out of poverty, it has to be work that people can actually stay in. That means jobs that recognise caring responsibilities, health realities, and the fact that people’s lives don’t neatly align with rigid schedules.
An effective approach could focus less on ‘any job’ and more on good work: sustainable hours, supportive management, progression routes, and employment practices that don’t treat people as disposable.
So what’s the real takeaway?
Unemployment isn’t just about effort. It’s about obstacles, and many of them are structural.
If we want work to be a genuine route out of poverty, we need an approach that understands barriers as real, layered, and solvable – not as personal failings.
