Youth unemployment: a public health problem set to worsen if older people work longer.

Youth unemployment: a public health problem set to worsen if older people work longer In 2012 the coalition government decided to increase the retirement age and reform public sector pensions. 1 The logic behind this is that increased life expectancy makes payouts under the old terms unsustainable for the public purse. I believe this move is misguided for several reasons. Life spans have indeed increased, but a longer old age does not automatically mean a healthier one. We, more than anyone, can testify to the burden of chronic illness in an ageing population, and the escalating consumption of healthcare resources during the last third of life. 2 Vital functions such as eyesight, memory, and agility decline during middle age, well before evolving to hard diagnoses such as macular degeneration, dementia, or arthritis. While there are many older people who wish to work beyond usual retirement age, this should be voluntary. Surely the most potent argument against making it compulsory is that it will exacerbate one of the most underrated scourges of our time: the ticking time bomb of youth unemployment. The soubriquet NEET describes young adults not in employment, education, or training. The NEET population in the UK was around 13% in 2004, 3 and since that year, well before the official recognition of recession in 2008, it has been rising inexorably and currently stands at 17%. 3 The statistics are grim enough, but the human and societal costs do not bear contemplating. The late teens to mid-20s are pivotal years when young adults should hone the knowledge, skills, and attitudes, including interpersonal relationships, to prepare them for their working lives. If this 'golden decade' is squandered, future employment prospects vanish. Opening the market to this generation is surely wiser than squeezing the last pips out of the 65–70 years age group, many of whom, not least NHS professionals, may have clocked up over 40 years in public service. Should the current situation worsen as seems likely, the effect on public health will be considerable. Unemployment is positively associated with poverty, social isolation, loss of self-esteem, depression, poor physical health, and earlier mortality, all of which hit the young hardest. 4 Boredom is likely to make drug and alcohol misuse, already rife, increase; indeed, telltale signs are emerging. The alcohol-fuelled mayhem blighting city and town centres at pub and club closing times was once the preserve of the late teen …