Young men exit the labour market in record numbers.

The last decade might have been boomtime for bankers, but for many young men, it was a very lean period. Labour force participation rates for 16-24 year old males fell by around 7 percent. Before you ask, that number excludes those in full time education.

The decline in participation seems to coincide with the election of Blair, Brown and the New Labour crew in 1997. During the latter years of the Major goverment, participation was actually increasing.

The recent recession appears to have accelerated the process of male youth economic inactivity. Last year, the participation rate fell dramatically

Here is a question - how are those inactive young men surviving? Perhaps, they are all safely at home with mum. Or perhaps not.