ONE in four job-seekers says that a lack of confidence and self-esteem is holding back their chances of finding employment, and a cycle of constant rejections is worsening their mental health, Christians Against Poverty (CAP) says.

The charity says barriers of low confidence and self-worth are further locking many people out of the job market, in an already challenging time of reducing vacancies and growing unemployment.

The charity’s conclusions are drawn from interviews with its Job Club participants and a survey by Savanta of 2111 adults, and a further survey of 1005 unemployed adults.

Figures published last week indicate that the UK’s unemployment rate hit a five-year high in the last three months of 2025, climbing to 5.2 per cent, and that the unemployment rate for the 16-24s rose to 16.1 per cent, the most for a decade.

CAP, which offers free job clubs in partnership with churches, published its Barriers to Work report on Wednesday, looking at the range of issues preventing success among job-seekers.

The report says that one quarter are suffering from lack of confidence, and that around nine million adults say that they have made more than ten job applications in the past year and been unsuccessful in all of them. Almost half of the survey sample, 49 per cent, said that being out of work was affecting their mental health and that depression and anxiety were then making it hard for them to get into work.

One of CAP’s clients, Amy, said: “After losing my job at a nursery, I was left paying high bills all on just £500 a month from Universal Credit. I often went days without eating, as going without food was the only ‘affordable’ thing to cut.

“Losing my job had completely destroyed my self-worth. The CAP Job Club was incredibly welcoming, and it was the first place where people actually saw my strengths. It helped me realise I do have worth and that someone cares about my success. The sessions gave me the confidence to apply for jobs again. I now work full-time.”

People reported not believing they had the right skills to gain access to employment, and fearing that the skills they did have would be replaced by artificial intelligence in the next few years.

Physical ill-health and age were also reported to be barriers to gaining work. CAP found that age was reported to be a barrier by 40 per cent of the 18-24s and of the 55-64s alike.