Young people don’t like hard work and want too much money, according to Britain’s small business bosses. Most small employers would rather employ older staff because they work harder and are more reliable, according to a new report by Abbey National business.

British firms spend millions of pounds every year trying to find the right staff. Yet good quality candidates are thin on the ground and half of Britain’s companies say it is difficult to get suitable workers. Small business bosses are particularly disappointed with the quality of young jobseekers, with over a quarter (28%) branding them as poor:
– 56% say young employees don’t want to work very hard
– 52% believe young staff want too much money
– 67% believe young people want more glamorous jobs than those on offer
– 42% say young jobseekers’ wage expectations are too high

In fact bosses are so disappointed with young staff that nearly two thirds (64%) of businesses would rather choose older employees because they are more reliable and work harder.

On average small UK businesses have to recruit new staff six times a year, paying out an average of £764 in recruitment fees and advertising costs each time. Bigger companies, with between 50 and 250 employees, spend nearly £1,800 for every position they have to fill.

Gary Hockey-Morley, Director of Abbey National business, says: “Young people are the future of British business, but it is clear that there are many negative perceptions about them in the job market. Although bosses are some of the hardest working people in the country they are not recruitment professionals and rely on gut instinct. That’s why they often choose older, more mature staff. However, young people need to be even more professional in interviews and recruiters have to work to overcome gut feel. The Abbey National business recruitment guides will help bosses find the right staff, young and old, to ensure their business grow and thrive.”

Other key findings
– The north east has the lowest opinion of young staff – 68% of bosses in the region say young jobseekers don’t want to work very hard
– Older workers are most popular in the Midlands and the east where 68% of bosses in the region would employ them over younger staff
– The Midlands and the east has the highest turnover of staff recruiting 6.7 times a year, compared with the lowest in the north east who recruit 5 times a year
– The Midlands and the east spends the most on each new recruitment at £1,245 per job – the north east spends the least at only £220 for each position