New research highlights the vital role technology plays in shaping employment opportunities.
Employment charity Movement to Work (MtW), in collaboration with Oxford Insights and supported by The King’s Trust, Accenture, Microsoft, and GetMyFirstJob, delved into the transformative potential of generative AI (gen AI) to help young people struggling most to navigate the job market.
Our report, Exploring the potential of generative AI to support NEET young people into work, underscores the importance of raising employer awareness of the challenges young people are facing. It also provides young people with the tools needed to thrive in a rapidly changing employment landscape.
Understanding the challenge
Our research was particularly focussed on young people aged 16-30 currently not in education, employment or training (NEET). The challenge here is stark: over 869,000 UK young people are currently classified as NEET.
At Movement to Work, we focus on young people furthest away from the job market, but of course, there are learnings that are transferrable across many young jobseekers, and we know the general youth employment picture is bleak.
For example, in December it was reported that there were 3.01 million young people aged 16 to 24 who were economically inactive, 55,000 more than the previous year. This is close to the highest recorded number since 1992.
These individuals, who are already facing personal challenges, often find themselves stuck in a vicious cycle of ‘no experience, no job’.
This issue is compounded by inaccessible recruitment processes and the increasing digitisation of the job market, which threatens to leave them further behind.
This is on top of rising poor mental health, the trauma of the pandemic during their formative years, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, and job market shrinkage.
We have a responsibility to take care of young people, to help unlock their potential and harness their diverse experiences that will make our businesses future-proof.
More specifically, as employers, we need an environment of receptivity, so that generative AI can be used to help people struggling most rather than push them further away.
Gen AI: gateway to opportunity
Our research highlights how gen AI can play a crucial role in addressing these challenges. By simplifying various aspects of the job application process, generative AI can make job hunting less daunting for young people.
Here are three key ways generative AI can help:
- Crafting competitive applications: Gen AI tools like ChatGPT can assist young people in drafting and refining CVs and cover letters, tailoring their applications to highlight unique skills and experiences, whether gained through volunteering or hobbies.
- Demystifying job descriptions: Gen AI can break down complex job descriptions, helping applicants understand the roles better and craft more targeted applications.
- Interview preparation: With Gen AI, young job seekers can prepare for interviews by researching companies, generating potential interview questions, and receiving feedback on their answers, boosting their confidence and readiness.
For more top tips, please see here for our free Employer Guidance pack informed by our research.
Overcoming misconceptions
Despite the potential benefits, our research found that many NEET young people are hesitant to use gen AI, fearing negative perceptions from employers.
However, we found that most employers see the use of gen AI positively, recognising it as a sign of resourcefulness, innovative thinking, and adaptability. Employers value candidates who demonstrate their ability to leverage modern tools effectively.
Employer’s role in empowering youth
Employers can play a pivotal role in levelling the playing field by integrating gen AI into their hiring practices responsibly and inclusively. Here’s how:
- Clarify expectations: Clearly communicate when and how gen AI can be used during the application process, removing ambiguity and encouraging its responsible use.
- Promote Gen AI literacy: As part of your youth employability strategy, be it work experience, insight days or entry level jobs and apprenticeships, be sure to include resources to help young people build their gen AI skills.
- Provide constructive feedback: Implement feedback mechanisms that help candidates improve, consider using gen AI to create responses efficiently when handling high volumes of applications.
Encouraging Responsible Use
For young people, understanding how to use Gen AI responsibly is crucial. It’s about enhancing their individuality, not replacing it.
We’ve compiled a short free guide for young people which you can download here alongside our new Learning Hub. Supported by chat bot Ask.Nim, you’ll find resources from Microsoft, The King’s Trust, LinkedIn, Accenture, and more.
These pages are primarily aimed at young people who are not in education, employment and training, but this hub also aims to be a toolkit for youth workers and trainers, providing them with ideas and inspiration to support their younger peers.
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