Why young people are paying to get hired
Two recent reports on youth employment describe different crises: one says young people are paying thousands of dollars to get hired, while the other says severely disabled young people are being forced to repeatedly prove they cannot work.
Written by Roundtablefrom 2 outlets' reporting
01What happened
Al Jazeera English reported that some graduates are paying thousands of dollars to appear employed, and parents are spending up to $50,000 on career coaches. The Guardian reported that an official review by Alan Milburn, due in October, will recommend that 16- to 24-year-olds with the most severe lifelong disabilities get fast-track, unconditional access to disability benefits without repeated assessments for personal independence payment and universal credit health benefits. The disability charity Sense welcomed the principle but warned that young disabled people able and willing to work must not be written off.
The facts every outlet at this table agrees on.
02Every voice
One entry per outlet, in the order they should be read. Each links back to the reporting it was drawn from — check any of it.
Al Jazeera English
Read the original· aljazeera.comHow they framed it
Al Jazeera English frames the event as a broken entry-level job market that forces young people to pay to get hired.
In their words
Some graduates are paying thousands of dollars just to appear employed, while parents spend up to $50,000 on career coaches. The entry-level job market has become so broken that young people must pay to get hired.
The Guardian
Read the original· theguardian.comHow they framed it
The Guardian frames the event as an official review recommending fast-track benefit access for severely disabled young people, with a charity cautioning against writing off those who can work.
In their words
Young people with severe lifelong disabilities should get fast-track, unconditional access to disability benefits instead of having to repeatedly prove they cannot work, an official review by Alan Milburn will recommend. The review, due in October, says 16- to 24-year-olds with the most complex needs should be spared adversarial assessments for personal independence payment and universal credit health benefits. Disability charity Sense welcomed the principle but warned that young disabled people able and willing to work must not be written off.
03Where they differ
The two outlets are writing about different problems within youth employment. Al Jazeera English focuses on graduates paying to appear employed and parents spending large sums on career coaches, framing the entry-level job market as broken. The Guardian focuses on a government review recommending fast-track disability benefits for severely disabled young people, framing the issue as avoiding repeated adversarial assessments. They do not contradict each other; they address distinct aspects of youth employment policy.
Described, not adjudicated. Roundtable does not tell you which account is right.
04Still open
- What specific evidence supports the claim that young people are paying thousands to appear employed?
- How many young people are affected by the practices described by Al Jazeera English?
- Will the Milburn review's recommendations be adopted, and what will the eligibility criteria be?
- How will the fast-track benefit access interact with existing disability benefit assessments?
- What specialist employment support will be available for disabled young people who want to work?
