Young People and the London Job Market: Why Access Matters
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Oct 14, 2026
London looks like the place to start a career. The big employers are here, the universities are here, and so are whole industries, from tech and engineering to aerospace and aviation. But if you’re 19 and hunting for your first job, being surrounded by opportunity doesn’t mean you can actually get to any of it.
Trust for London’s research shows that youth unemployment in the capital has been climbing since 2023, while it’s stayed fairly flat for older adults. Job adverts have disappeared too. Between 2022 and 2025, vacancies fell in all nine major occupational categories. Admin roles dropped 56%, customer service 59% and sales 44%. Those are the jobs young Londoners have usually started out in.
Employers want experience, but you can’t get experience without a first chance. Some young people get one through a relative, a lecturer or someone they meet at an event. Plenty of others don’t know anyone to ask. In industries like aerospace and aviation, that can mean not even knowing what jobs are out there.
London is expensive, and just travelling to a job or internship can cost more than someone can afford. The Prince’s Trust found that 1 in 10 young people had turned down a job because they couldn’t afford to take it. If you can’t get there, it isn’t much of an opportunity.
AI is making things tougher. Trust for London points to research showing that new entry-level jobs in the UK are down almost a third since ChatGPT launched in 2022. It isn’t the only reason, but it’s part of the picture. That’s why talking to someone who actually does the work is so useful. Saying you like the idea of aerospace doesn’t get you far. Meeting an engineer who’s built a career in it means you can finally see the route.
That’s what we do at Falcon Foundation. Talent is everywhere, but the networks that turn it into a career aren’t. We offer scholarships, one-to-one mentoring and direct access to people working in the industry, so young people can build the skills, confidence and connections for a career in STEM, aerospace or aviation.