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This report, released in partnership with the EY Foundation, is based on a wide review of literature and workshops with young people, showing how lessons in motivation could be a vital component in helping those from low-income backgrounds get better work in this age of AI labour market disruption. Access a concise Briefing Paper on this here.
As AI rapidly transforms workplaces, there is an urgent need – and golden opportunity – to steer it towards greater opportunity, not deeper inequality. As evidenced in our Pissarides Review, better technical skills and ‘AI literacy’ alone will not be enough for young people from low-income backgrounds to thrive. Intrinsic motivation and self-agency are becoming increasingly important for young people to adapt and succeed in this fast-evolving and technologising labour market.
Human-centric skills such as critical thinking, communication, creativity, and problem-solving flourish when young people have intrinsic and internal forms of motivation – when they engage in learning and work for inherent satisfaction rather than external rewards alone. While the findings indicate that many young people exhibit strong intrinsic or internal motivation linked to their values and identity, the research also reveals if young people are lacking this, it can hold them back from building fulfilling careers.
Yet evidence indicates that while young children generally start with similar levels of intrinsic motivation, it often erodes more quickly over time for children from low-income backgrounds. This is a critical insight because this group of young people are more likely to feel excluded from new learning opportunities, such as those presented by AI.
As a result, there is a real risk that – without intervention – the rapid adoption of AI could further entrench existing inequalities. Encouragingly though, the research also suggests that intrinsic and internalised motivation can be cultivated through targeted support, and the next stage of this research will focus on testing an intervention designed for this, with findings expected in October 2025.
"The young people we support are from low-income backgrounds and they often talk about work opportunities not being ‘for someone like me’. The identification of intrinsic motivation brings deeper understanding to this issue, with young people from a low-income background often growing up with fewer choices and receiving less support. To ensure employers access the incredible talent of young people at risk of being excluded from the labour market, we must act now to rebuild internal forms of motivation."
- Lynne Peabody, EY Foundation CEO
“In the West Midlands, around 1 in 7 young people are currently not in education, employment, or training. While there are various factors affecting young people, the uncertain impact of AI poses a risk that these numbers may increase. As one of the pilot regions for the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer, the West Midlands is well positioned to explore new solutions. This research and the connection between motivation and success in the workplace could help us better understand the type of support our young people need to thrive in the world of work, and we look forward to the next stage of this research with great interest.”
- Helene Dearn OBE, Executive Director for Employment, Skills, Health and Communities at West Midlands Combined Authority
Joshua Halstead, Oliver Nash, Joana Geisler, Kester Brewin
Report
Prioritising people
