'Being a young worker helps me in so many ways'

An 18-year-old has said being a younger worker has helped build her confidence as well as her social and time management skills.

Jessica Marshall, from the Grapevine Bar in Herne Bay in Kent, said many of her friends hadn't managed to find a job so struggled to "talk to anyone and everyone".

"Confidence, being able to talk to people, managing time, being reliable, it helps in so many ways," she said.

This comes as figures from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) show the number of under-18s on company payrolls is at its lowest level for five years.

Marshall is one of several young staff who have worked at the bar since they were teenagers.

Fin Dale, 23, said the experience had given him skills and confidence he would not have otherwise developed.

"We do everything here, taking orders, [being] behind the bar, big birthday celebrations," he added.

"I may have been up on a table once or twice dancing with customers, making sure they've having a good time!

"And that all literally circles back because there is no way I'd be doing that if I hadn't been put in those situations seven or eight years ago."

Madison Leaver, 18, said her first job helped her overcome her shyness.

"When I started I was quite shy, but working teaches you so much," she said.

"Now I can go out on a shopping trip knowing I made the money, it just makes getting things and buying things just so much nicer."

The HMRC data shows the number of employed under-18s has dropped by almost 19% in the past two years in a region that includes Surrey, East and West Sussex, and Kent, as well as Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

This is a drop of more than 14,000 people since 2024.

The decrease in under-18 workers has prompted concerns young people could be missing out on opportunities to develop workplace skills and confidence.

At fish and chip shop Dean's Plaice on the town's seafront, company administrator Chris Miller said competition for seasonal work was fierce, with at least 10 applicants for every job advertised.

He said one of his teenage workers travelled 50 miles (80.5km) from Rochester for shifts because he could not find work closer to home.

Some employers have said changes to tax rates, higher minimum wages for teenagers and restrictions on employing under-18s can make taking on young workers more difficult.

The government said youth employment was a "complex issue years in the making" and it was "determined to address it".

It added: "Our £2.5bn investment in youth employment support will address this by creating nearly one million jobs and training opportunities, including vital early work experience and further reform will follow the Milburn Review this autumn.

"We are also supporting businesses to back young talent by continuing the National Insurance exemption for under-21s and apprentices under-25 and offering hiring incentives worth up to £8,000."

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