There has been a 60% rise in Big Issue vendors aged 18 to 24 since 2022: 'I wanted to be a lawyer'

The number of Big Issue vendors aged 18 to 24 has surged by more than 60% since 2022, as rising youth unemployment sees young people struggle to find work, education and training.

Almost a million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET) across the UK, equivalent to 12.8% of people in that age group.

Former health secretary Alan Milburn publishes his government-commissioned review into why there are rising numbers of young people considered NEET on Thursday (28 May).

Big Issue figures released at the same time total of 720 people in this age group sold Big Issue in 2025, compared to 449 in 2022.

“Behind these figures are young people facing mounting cost of living pressures against a backdrop of declining employment opportunities,” said Lord John Bird, founder of the Big Issue.

One Big Issue vendor, 22-year-old Paula Langa who is a mother of two young children, has been selling the magazine in Cardiff for two-and-a-half years.

Read more:

• Meet the man tasked with fixing youth unemployment: ‘I see a generation that is trying hard’
• Youth unemployment at its highest point for a decade: ‘It’s like running into a brick wall’
• Youth unemployment has a ‘long-term scarring effect’ affecting finances and health decades later

“I like it because it’s flexible. I can speak with people, make friends. And it’s money to pay for food, to pay for bills, for things for my children,” Langa told the Big Issue.

She moved to the UK from Romania three years ago to try and find work opportunities and secure a better future for her family. It was the Big Issue which has helped her make a living.

“When I was in school, I always was looking to be a lawyer. It’s impossible for me now, but that was my big dream. So now my big dream is to make a better future for the kids, to bring them to school, to get my own house. If I could do a big job that would be good – but I really like Big Issue,” Langa added.

“I want to say to all the girls like me, and the boys, if they don’t have support, call Big Issue and they will help you.”

Milburn is recommending that the government takes a fresh approach to overhauling the welfare system and employment support for young people. He concludes that there has been a “catastrophic system failure”, as reported in the Guardian.

Milburn told Big Issue in an interview back in April: “The starting point is this is not young people’s fault. Sometimes there’s a debate that says, oh, there’s something going on with this generation – it’s the ‘self’ generation, the snowflake generation. I’ve seen no evidence of that. 

“I’ve talked to literally hundreds of young people in the course of this review. I see a generation who is trying hard, literally sometimes applying for hundreds of jobs, never getting a reply of any sorts, definitely not getting an interview, not getting a job offer. And they still keep trying. It’s an anxious generation but they’ve got a remarkable degree of resilience, despite everything.”

Research from the British Medical Journal estimates that more than half (52.9%) of NEET cases are directly attributable to growing up in poverty. Young people who had been exposed to both persistent poverty and poor parental mental health in childhood were five times more likely to be NEET than those in low poverty and adversity.

Iain Porter, senior policy advisor at Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “The government is right to try and get to the bottom of why so many young people aren’t earning or learning. But there is a piece of the puzzle that often gets missed: poverty. This research shows that there is a clear link between growing up in poverty and being locked out of education and work.  
 
“To break this cycle, it’s essential that the government tackles the root causes of the problem. We need to ensure that young people grow up in families that can afford the essentials to live a good life, so that instead of being distracted by survival, they can thrive at school, college and the world of work.”  

Milburn said the “opportunities frankly aren’t there at the moment” and he called on employers to do more to help young people, such as through supported internships, part-time jobs and apprenticeships.

“There’s no lack of willing on the part of employers. And the job of the government is to make it as easy as possible for employers to engage people,” he added.

Big Issue is addressing the issue, continuing to offer a route into work for vendors and also through its recruitment service Big Issue Recruit, which provides tailored one-to-one support for people who have traditionally faced barriers to getting into work.

Lord Bird added: “People want to work, and recognise that work overwhelmingly is good for mental health. But the decline in job opportunities, particularly for young people, is pushing more people to seek support from organisations like the Big Issue.

“Alan Milburn’s review highlights the need for a system reset. Job centres are stretched by the uptick in NEETs and desperately need more resource. Complimentary services like Big Issue Recruit show that, with sustained one-to-one confidence building and stronger employer pathways, we can match young jobseekers with the right opportunities for them.”

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