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Almost one million young Britons out of work as Alan Milburn warns of lost generation without urgent action
Almost one million 16 to 24 year olds in the UK are currently not in education, employment or training, with the figure set to rise to 1.25 million by 2031. Former minister Alan Milburn has called out a whole system failure, blaming the welfare state for exacerbating youth inactivity.
Almost one million young people aged 16 to 24 in the United Kingdom are currently not in education, employment or training, a figure set to rise to 1.25 million by 2031 according to a landmark report. GB News reported that former minister Alan Milburn is sounding the alarm, claiming the nation faces a lost generation without urgent action to address the crisis.
Milburn's report identifies what he calls a whole system failure, blaming the welfare state for exacerbating inactivity among young people. The former Labour minister argues that the current system makes it too easy for young people to claim benefits for mild conditions rather than entering the workforce, creating a gilded cage from which many never escape.
Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Helen Waitley told GB News that every decision taken by the current government has made it harder for young people to find work. She cited the loss of 300,000 jobs since Labour came to power, the jobs tax, the employment rights bill creating additional red tape, and a failure to reform welfare as key contributing factors.
Young people themselves report making hundreds of job applications and receiving hundreds of rejections, often hearing nothing back from potential employers. The jobs market has become extremely tough for first-time entrants, with competition for entry-level positions intensifying as the economy adjusts to the impact of the Middle East conflict on energy prices and broader economic conditions.
The report comes as one in six young Britons is expected to be out of work by the end of the decade. Experts from across the political spectrum agree that a combination of education reform, welfare restructuring and business-friendly policies will be needed to prevent a generation of young people from being permanently locked out of the labour market. The government is expected to respond to the report's findings later today.