74% of Brits Would Use Personal Connections to Help Their Children Land a Job

Despite the ongoing labour shortages, the UK job market remains competitive for students who just got out of education. In fact, less than 3 in 10 graduates feel prepared to enter the job market.

Of course, no parent would like to see their child struggle – so naturally, many open up old contact books to help: Moneyzine.co.uk reveals that three-quarters of British parents would help their child land a job, while 31% have already done so.

Good Parenting or Nepotism?

A recent survey revealed that since 2013, there’s been a decrease in the number of Brits who think it’s ‘good parenting’ to help their children land a job. Still, half of those surveyed think it’s their duty as parents to do so, down from 56% in 2013.

Similarly, 84% of those surveyed in 2013 said they would use their personal contacts to help their offspring get a job. While it dropped ten points since, still, three-quarters of Brits stated that they would dig through their address book according to the most recent survey.

While the overwhelming majority support using personal contacts to set up job opportunities for their children, very few believe it benefits society at large. Only a quarter of those surveyed thought it is beneficial to society (down from 32% in 2013). While close to half (47%) think there are neither good or bad implications, almost a fifth (18%) believe it is actively harmful.

No parent would like to see their child struggle – but we also cannot ignore the larger implications of some young job seekers receiving parental assistance while others cannot. The UK job market is already among the most competitive environments globally, this creates an even more unfair playing field for many.

Jonathan Merry, CEO of Moneyzine.com

So, how many parents actually have used their contacts to help their children find a job? 31% of those surveyed stated that they have previously arranged some type of work-related opportunity. One in five organised work experience, while 12% help their child get a temporary job.

Fewer Parents Believe It's Fair to Help Their Child Get a Permanent Job

Parents’ views on the fairness of helping their child professionally vary by the nature of the help they can provide.

More than half of Brits believe it's fair for parents to use their connections to get their children temporary jobs, or some form of a professional introduction. 52% would facilitate arranging job interviews, 56% would help arrange professional meetings, and 68% would step in to help their offspring get work experience.

While parents are happy to help out with temporary jobs and setting up professional introductions, they are more reluctant when it comes to permanent jobs. Only 38% believe it’s reasonable to arrange a permanent placement for their offspring, while 28% think it's unfair.

Who Thinks It's Fair for Parents to Help Their Children Find a Job?

Much like many things in the UK, this issue fails to garner bipartisan support. Conservative voters favour parental assistance whilst job hunting: 50% believe it's fair to arrange a permanent job, while 75% think the same for work experience.

Labour voters are less likely to think so. 36% believe it's unfair for parents to help their children get a permanent job, in striking contrast to 18% of Tory supporters who deemed it unfair.

Older Britons, those aged 65 and above, tend to think it's fair for young people to receive parental support in their job hunts for both temporary (67%) and permanent (46%) posts. The younger generation, however, not as much. Of those aged between 18 and 24, less than half think it's justifiable to receive help to land a temp job and only 23% think it's fair to do so for a permanent position.

Who Can Actually Receive Parental Help?

While many believe it’s a good thing for parents to assist their children in finding a job using their personal contracts, it’s a luxury reserved for families with higher socioeconomic status. Half of the young job seekers from families with higher professional standings received help from family and friends in securing a job, while only a third of those from lower socioeconomic groups could do so.

Lack of connections is not the only barrier holding back job-seekers from lower-income backgrounds. People from higher socioeconomic backgrounds are twice as likely to receive financial assistance from their parents whilst seeking employment compared to those from less privileged backgrounds.

Similarly, 56% of those from privileged backgrounds have undertaken unpaid work experience at some point in their lives, whereas 44% of those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds managed to do so.