Good apprenticeships make a significant difference to young people’s employability and their quality of life.

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Analysis of job quality at age 19-20 based on our Wave 3 survey data indicates that, compared with both casual and temporary work and stable employment, apprenticeships were generally rated more highly in relation to pay (as measured by hourly pay and subjective pay satisfaction), job design, work relations, and employee voice. Doing apprenticeships is also associated with higher levels of life satisfaction, happiness and feeling that life is worthwhile.

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Yet the demand for apprenticeships far exceeds supply. Only 5% of young people in our sample obtained an apprenticeship in the two-year period after taking their GCSEs, and for every young person who obtained one, three tried to get one and failed.

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Many of those unable to obtain apprenticeships are trapped in low paid, precarious work or are not in any kind of employment, education or training, while others take a higher education path that may not align with their interests and aspirations.

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Casual and temporary work is generally associated with irregular hours alongside lower pay satisfaction, weaker social support at work, and fewer opportunities for progression compared to apprenticeships.

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In our interviews, it was common for young people in casual and temporary work to talk about the toll that having to work long, unsociable and unpredictable hours took on their mental health and wellbeing, even though they often enjoyed aspects of the work. Many also talked about having to take long, expensive and unsubsidised journeys to work, the difficulty of paying for these journeys out of their low wages and their deleterious impact on their work-life balance.

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More detailed findings with survey and interview data can be found in our Precarious Transitions summary report, published in November 2025.

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