Review warns of risks for young people’s ambitions
Benefits must not be allowed to kill off young people’s ambitions, a review into youth jobs and training will say today, reports BritPanorama.
Labour grandee Alan Milburn expresses concern that a “lost generation” is being pushed onto benefits, calling for urgent action to address the issue. He attributes this situation to a “whole-system failure” that has left nearly one million youngsters classified as NEET—those not in employment, education, or training—with six out of ten of them having never held a job.
Milburn asserts that “Benefits should not become the place where ambition goes to die.” He was brought in to lead this review after Labour retracted plans to cut welfare in response to dissent from its backbenchers. His interim findings suggest that the prevalence of NEET youth could increase from one in eight to one in six over the next five years.
According to Milburn, there is a pressing need to transition from a welfare state that merely manages failure to a “working state” that empowers young people by fostering skills, confidence, and future opportunities. He highlights significant changes in the job market, noting a 50% reduction in hospitality job vacancies over the past four years and a marked decline in Saturday jobs.
Furthermore, apprenticeship starts have fallen by 35% in the last decade. Despite 84% of NEETs expressing a desire for work or training, they reported a lack of support in finding opportunities. The Centre for Social Justice think tank has indicated that the youth jobs crisis is exacerbated by rising immigration, revealing a stark contrast in employment growth: while non-EU under-25s on UK payrolls have grown by 290,000 since January 2020, only 11,000 additional young British workers have found jobs during the same period.
In response to these findings, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden acknowledged the ongoing challenges but affirmed the government’s commitment to improve the situation for young people.
The implications of this review underscore the urgent need for policy frameworks that not only address welfare but also create pathways for young people’s integration into the workforce.
