Graduating students face high unemployment, with only a 1% greater chance of getting a job than teenagers with basic qualifications. Official figures show 25% of 21-year-olds who graduated in 2011 were unemployed, similar to the 26% unemployment rate for 16-year-olds with lower qualifications. Unemployed graduates experience shock, depression, and difficulty adjusting due to a lack of job opportunities despite hundreds of applications, leading some to participate in protests against youth unemployment.