Level of young jobless attacked

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The Confederation of British Industry said it was "unacceptable" that Britain ranked 23rd out of 28 in an international league table of young people not in education, employment or training.

The picture could worsen "dramatically" in the coming months as the economy suffers, said the business group, arguing that £250 million a year could be saved if the number of young people claiming benefits was halved.

John Cridland, deputy director general of the CBI said: "The CBI has long warned that the UK's approach to disengaged youth is failing. Now we can see the knock-on effects that such failure has on the whole of society.

"This is not just an issue of so many school leavers failing to achieve the expected minimum of five good GCSEs after 11 years of full-time education. This is about the UK churning out thousands of people without the basic skills and attitudes they need to make their way in the world.

"Sadly, these are the young people who end up unemployed and feeling like failures. The true cost extends well beyond benefit payments and prison places. Anti-social behaviour leads to people staying away from town centres, meaning businesses lose trade and local communities suffer."

Unemployed youngsters are three times as likely to be involved in crime than all young people, while jobless young women were more likely to be in poor health, said the CBI.