Young workers

They may be more at risk from individual factors such as inexperience and/or organisational factors, such as:

• inadequate or lack of training
• orientation and supervision
• lack of awareness of workplace rights and responsibilities
• lack of preparation and understanding of their work environment.

IOSH advocates for organisations to ensure they manage the variable risks to the safety of young people at work. We promote the importance of risk education, training and supervision for young people in work. We believe good working conditions throughout working lives benefits workers, businesses and society.

The facts

• The United Nations defines “youth” as anyone between the ages of 15 and 24. According to the ILO, globally 541 million young workers (between the ages of 15 and 24) account for 15 per cent of the world’s labour force. Please note, the definition of young workers differs across different countries. For example, in the UK, young workers are defined as under the age of 18.  

• The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work reported that young people in Europe are up to 40 per cent more likely to suffer a work-related injury than older workers. 

• Another EU-OSHA study found that a significant proportion of young workers are in temporary positions, working irregular hours or atypical employment forms, and part-time work is increasing among young workers. 

• Improving the safety and health of young workers can contribute to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, as well as Target 8.8 on ‘safe and secure working environments for all workers by 2030’, and Target 8.7 on ‘ending all forms of child labour by 2025’. 

Impact of hybrid and home working

In August 2025, IOSH commissioned a survey to gauge how hybrid and home working was impacting on young workers. The research was conducted by Opinion Matters. The sample was 1,044 office workers (aged 18+), with at least 500 respondents aged 18-24 and a minimum of 500 respondents in hybrid jobs.

Some of the key findings included: 

• almost half (48 per cent) of young workers say home and hybrid working makes it harder to build relationships with colleagues
• 43 per cent admit fewer face-to-face interactions are restricting their personal and professional development
• fewer than one in five workers receive constructive feedback two to three times a week
• more than a third (36 per cent) of entry-level staff feel disconnected from their workplace community.

While hybrid and home working options can be valuable, IOSH believes businesses need to do more to ensure their newest workers are properly engaged. This is so they can reach their individual potential and help businesses thrive.

Manager responsibilities

We believe managers should build in more structured supervision time and regular check-ins with young workers and hybrid workers than only having contact once a month. They need to make room for informal, ad-hoc opportunities on a daily basis and also set regular weekly and monthly one-to-one sessions. These should cover matters of performance but also address aspects of workers’ health, safety and wellbeing.

Flexibility and a people approach

Workers, especially younger colleagues, really value the chance to work flexibly, whether it be remotely or in a hybrid role. But critically, young workers say they need more support and guidance from managers and senior colleagues. There can be no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to implementing flexible working, but IOSH recommends regulators and organisations recognise the need for more family and worker-friendly workplaces. They need to be flexible enough to accommodate individual needs and adopt a responsible management approach that values and supports people. This calls for guidance, mentoring, coaching, worker consultation and career development. 

Mental health 

To prevent and manage risks relating to young workers’ wellbeing, employers should embed mental health risk management into their occupational health and safety management systems. Their approach needs to be holistic and worker-centred, putting work design, the work environment and working conditions front and centre. 

Business competitiveness

In an increasingly agile and competitive global business environment, the success of any business will depend on how it nurtures, protects, motivates and empowers its number asset – its people. Employers have to invest in the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all their workers but especially their young workers, who are their future.

Our position

There are many specific health and safety risks which are particular to young workers. It is crucial businesses manage them to protect not only such young workers, but their older colleagues and the sustainability of the organisation itself. 

Young workers are still developing physically, mentally, and emotionally. They are particularly vulnerable as they face unfamiliar risks in new surroundings and may not have reached their full physical capability. They may yet need to develop the psychological capability to understand and manage – or even gain awareness of – risk. 

They may be more at risk due to either individual factors and/or organisational factors and many young workers are part of temporary working arrangements. It is the informality, instability and non-standard forms of such work which increases the vulnerability of young workers. 

IOSH advocates for organisations to ensure they manage the specific health and safety risks posed to young workers and the promote of risk education, training and supervision for young people in work. Employers need to be part of this process by recognising the additional protection(s) those young workers might require, particularly in relation to their physical and psychological capacity.

We believe good working conditions throughout working lives benefit workers, businesses and society.  

IOSH believes that younger workers can be a key asset contributing towards the innovation, improvement and sustainability of business policies and practices in designing and improving work tasks and working environments. In this scenario, health and safety professionals can act as facilitators by communicating, training and educating occupational safety and health effectively. This means they can reach and engage with increasing numbers of younger workers, regardless of their competence, education or cultural background.