The number of people under the age of 17 in Dundee who are out of education and unemployed is five times higher than that of neighbouring Perth and Kinross, new figures have revealed.
Figures released to the Scottish Parliament revealed that there are 50 youths aged 17 or under claiming unemployment benefits in the city.
By comparison, there are just 10 youths not in education, employment or training (NEET) in Perth and Kinross.
There are 40 unemployment benefit claimants in Angus and 80 in Fife.
Across Scotland, there are 1080 NEETS aged 17 or under and the figure rises dramatically when youths aged 18 and 19 are included.
According to the most recent figures available, 13.8% of all Scottish youths aged 19 or under were claiming unemployment benefits in 2009 around 36,000 people.
In Dundee there were 1000 youths under age 19 on the dole, 1980 in Fife, 520 in Angus and just 430 in Perth and Kinross.
Youth unemployment is one of the key challenges facing both the UK and Scottish governments.
Around 40,000 16 to 24-year-olds now claim Jobseeker’s Allowance, one in five of the population in Scotland, and the youth unemployment rate is twice that of the UK as a whole.
Earlier this year Citizen’s Advice Scotland warned that thousands of young Scots are running up huge debts.
The charity warned that the average debt held by under-25s coming to them is now almost £10,000 double what it was five years before.
Finlay Laverty, head of commercial development at The Prince’s Trust Scotland, a charity that helps young people find a route into the workplace, said young people should not be left on the scrapheap.
“The cost of youth unemployment to Scotland’s public purse is alarming and, if left unchallenged, poses a grave risk to Scotland’s economic future,” he said.