The Evil of Youth Unemployment Endures in Modern Britain

Unemployment is a curse. Its evil spell breaks down relationships, humiliates and chips away at your humanity.

Modern joblessness inflicts a new burden upon it victims – alienation. Instead of walking around a town, handing out CVs and talking to prospective employers, jobseekers are confined to their homes.

This isn't because they're idle, this isn't because they don't want to alleviate themselves from their morbid situation; it's because the majority of job applications have to be submitted online.

The end result – more and more unemployed people are stuck staring and hoping at a screen all day long.

An attempt to enter the labour market has become a mechanical, soulless pursuit. Even the most head-strong and capable candidates can be broken down by the rectangle plate of "opportunities" on the screen.

With more than 860,000 16 to 24 year olds out of work and a youth unemployment rate of 19.1%, scrolling through databases, clicking on hyperlinks and handing over your personal details is now part and parcel of being young in the UK today.

Martin Hadfield, a 20-year-old Scot, was one of the country's young jobseekers. That is, until he took his own life.

Out of work for months, too proud to receive Jobseeker's Allowance, Hardfield committed suicide after applying for around 40 jobs in just 12 weeks, an inquest heard.

Peter O'Gorman told the Daily Record that he felt his stepson had become a statistic.

"He was a statistic by being out of work, a statistic when he went into the job centre and now he is a statistic by killing himself."

O'Gorman stressed that his stepson received no state benefits and "was proud not to".

"He hated the idea of going to the job centre because he had heard what so many others his age had said," O'Gorman explained.

"Many people go in with a sense of self-worth – they really do want a job – but come out feeling demoralised and put down."

This tragic story exemplifies the toll unemployment can take, especially on young minds. The darkness of joblessness endures, but more must be done to tackle the phenomenon. Until then, the machine will not stop for the youth of the UK. The rejections, the alienation and the silence continues.

Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year. Samaritans provide a safe place for anyone struggling to cope, whoever they are, however they feel, whatever life has done to them. Please call 08457 90 90 90 (UK) 1850 60 90 90 (ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of the nearest branch.