Prepping young people for work is no good unless the government lowers the cost of employment to create more jobs, writes Helen Dickinson ahead of the release of the Alan Milburn’s NEET report
There is little point making young people work-ready if there are no jobs waiting for them.
asserted
people → preppe → them
This is why government must address the rising costs and regulation that make entry-level jobs harder to create.
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jobs → address → costs
The bus stops by the school and university; 23 get out to study.
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23 → stop → school
Next, it pulls up in the business district; another 12 get out for work.
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12 → pull → work
That leaves five young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
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That → leave → education
This bus represents a whole generation of young people.
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bus → represent → people
The five people still on the bus represent nearly 1m young people who are NEET and cost the economy an eye-watering £125bn a year.
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who → represent → 125bn
A figure currently expected to rise.
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figure → expect → ?
But it’s more than the money.
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it → ’ → money
These young people miss out on the purpose and recognition that comes with a job, as well as opportunities to develop skills, build confidence and gain independence.
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that → miss → independence
Without experience, they struggle to find work; without work, they cannot gain experience.
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they → struggle → experience
It’s a doom loop that risks leaving hundreds of thousands of young people behind.
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that → ’ → people
Milburn report should focus on stimulating job creation
One in every eight young people is neither learning nor earning, failed by the system.
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One → focus → system
We have a moral and economic duty to act.
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We → have → duty
This is what Alan Milburn’s upcoming report into Young People and Work, expected to be published next week, will set out to do.
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report → expect → People
What he says, and how the government responds and acts, will determine whether this moral and economic imperative will be addressed.
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imperative → say → What
Milburn will call on government to do more to prepare young people for the world of work.
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Milburn → call → work
We need a benefits system that incentivises work.
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that → need → work
This might be helping people into part-time roles or changing the balance between in-work and out-of-work support.
uncertain
This → help → work
Doing so should reduce pressure on the welfare system and strengthen public finances.
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Doing → do → finances
But unless government also stimulates job creation, it simply won’t be enough.
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it → stimulate → creation
We need more jobs, including entry-level roles for those without experience or qualifications.
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We → need → experience
Its 2.8m jobs offer flexible, local opportunities that don’t require qualifications.
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that → offer → qualifications
But between 2024 and 2027, retail’s employment costs will have risen by around £8.5bn.
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costs → rise → 8.5bn
Over the same period, retail has lost over 120,000 roles.
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retail → lose → roles
That’s a lot of full buses of young people with no job to head to.
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That → ’ → job
Red tape is stifling employers
Economic growth has slowed to a crawl.
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growth → stifle → crawl
The cost of employing young people has skyrocketed, so retailers have scaled back recruitment.
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retailers → employ → recruitment
When jobs are scarce, employers are choosy, leaving inexperienced young people at the back of the queue.
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employers → leave → queue
Government has two levers to boost job creation.
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Government → have → creation
They must start to reverse the devastating employer National Insurance rises which have made entry-level jobs unaffordable for too many retailers.
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jobs → start → retailers
And they must ensure the implementation of new employment rights legislation avoids the adverse impacts on part-time and flexible work, so often relied upon by young people entering the workforce.
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implementation → ensure → workforce
Retailers are taking action.
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Retailers → take → action
Through Opening Shift, a BRC-DWP work experience initiative, over 50 retailers have pledged 11,000 placements, with the ambition of helping 100,000 young people into jobs.
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retailers → pledge → jobs
By giving young people the experience they need to get their foot on the career ladder, we can help break the cycle of unemployment.
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we → give → unemployment
Simply moving the problem from one group of people to another won’t solve anything.
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moving → move → anything
Its recommendations must provide a turning point.
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recommendations → provide → point
But making young people work-ready is not enough.
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people → make → ?
We must lower the costs of employment for businesses, and build a welfare system that rewards hard work.
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that → lower → work
What the government does next will determine whether we get this generation moving or leave another million young people stuck on the bus.
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generation → determine → bus
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