YOUTH unemployment has fallen to a record low – with the number of young jobless halved in the past eight years.

New figures show there are 451,000 fewer under-25s looking for work in the UK than in 2010.

This is in stark contrast to many other EU countries where the number of idle youngsters is up to three times higher.

Ministers have put it down to work experience schemes and work academies, linking training, experience and a guarantee of an interview for a real job.

EU stats put UK youth unemployment at 11 per cent, compared with Spain and Italy, where the figures stand at 33.4 per cent and 30.8 per cent respectively.

It is the latest boost for Britain’s booming jobs market, which has seen overall unemployment hit four per cent, the lowest since the mid-1970s and half the average Eurozone rate.

Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey said: “Since the EU referendum, we’ve seen the highest levels of employment in UK history, and fewer young people out of work since records began.

“While the UK has seen a hugely significant drop in youth unemployment of more than 45 per cent since 2010, many other countries are struggling to deliver jobs for young people and overall unemployment in the Eurozone is double that of the UK, with a fifth of young people out of work.

“With so many young people in Europe struggling to find a job, the EU is storing up a big problem for the future. Here in the UK, we prioritised bringing down youth unemployment, determined to ensure a positive future for our youth and to make sure our economic growth benefits all generations.”

Long-term unemployment in the UK has more than halved since 2010 and now stands at just 357,000, the second lowest in the EU and lower than France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, workers in the UK saw a sixth month of real terms wage growth in July, according to new figures this week – up 2.9 per cent or 0.5 per cent above inflation.