The prevalence of insecure, low-paid jobs is a primary driver forcing young people out of work due to ill health, according to a major new analysis. Research lays bare how the very sectors that employ the most young adults – hospitality, retail, and care – are funneling them towards long-term sickness and economic inactivity.
The study, carried out for the Trades Union Congress by the consultancy Timewise, directly links the concentration of young workers in certain occupations with higher flows out of work and into long-term sickness. “The occupations that young people are concentrated in are associated with high numbers of people moving into long-term sickness and worklessness,” the analysis states.
These sectors are dominated by precarious employment. For example, more than 40% of staff in accommodation and food services are in insecure working arrangements, such as zero-hours contracts, agency work, or low-paid self-employment. Timewise’s chief executive, Clare McNeil, argued that expecting young people with health conditions to thrive in such roles is “futile – too often these jobs don’t work and they don’t last.”
How Precarious Work Harms Health
The report details a damaging cycle where job insecurity itself worsens health, creating a trap for young workers. Research indicates that poor-quality work can be more detrimental to mental health than unemployment, with chronic stress higher in adults who move into such roles. Workers on zero-hours contracts are 1.5 times more likely to report mental health problems and 41% less likely to report good physical health.
The constant uncertainty impacts work-life balance and well-being, with persistent precarious employment linked to poorer self-rated health and long-term conditions developing earlier in life. “Insecure and poor quality jobs are contributing to a rising epidemic of inactivity among the young, who have the most precarious, low-mobility jobs of all,” McNeil said.
The sectors identified as having both high youth employment and high movement into inactivity due to ill health are wholesale and retail, food and accommodation, and health and social care. Specific roles most at risk include hospital porters, road transport drivers, kitchen staff, and leisure and theme park attendants.
Policy and Political Responses
The findings come amid rising concern over youth inactivity. Official figures show 957,000 people aged 16-24 were not in employment, education or training (NEET) in the final three months of 2025 – 13% of the total. Over half of this group report a health condition, with one in five citing mental health issues. The number of young people who are economically inactive (not seeking work) stood at 547,000.
The government has commissioned a review of youth inactivity, led by former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, who is due to publish a report this summer. Milburn has described the NEET figure as a “national outrage” and an “economic catastrophe,” warning of a broken social contract where parents fear their children will not fare as well as they did.
Separately, the Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, has announced a £1bn package targeting youth unemployment. This includes a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers hiring 18-24 year olds unemployed for six months or more, an expansion of the Jobs Guarantee scheme, apprenticeship incentives for SMEs, and 80 new youth hubs.
Industry bodies have welcomed the financial support but warn of unintended consequences from other legislation. UKHospitality, which proposed the grant model, said the “ever-rising cost of employment” punishes the availability of entry-level roles. The British Retail Consortium, while supporting efforts against exploitation, cautioned that implementing the new Employment Rights Act could reduce vital flexible jobs if it treats “flexibility as insecurity by default.”
The TUC, however, insists the Act is crucial. Its secretary general, Paul Nowak, said: “Young people need good secure jobs with decent prospects, including notice of their shifts and sick pay when they’re ill… That’s why the Employment Rights Act is so important and must be implemented in full.” The Act introduces day-one rights to statutory sick pay and paternity leave this month, with rights to reasonable notice of shifts following in 2027.
