More than a million young people between 16 and 24 yearsapproximately 12% of the total, They neither study nor work in it United Kingdom. The figure, revealed this Thursday in an independent report prepared by the former Labor minister Alan Milburnhas highlighted the great problems that the country faces in incorporating the youngest people into the labor marketespecially after the pandemic, and the risk of “losing an entire generation” in case urgent measures are not taken to reverse this trend, according to its author.
The report, commissioned by the Labor Government, has urged public administrations to completely renovate a system that does not adapt to the current needs of the youngest, who increasingly depend on social benefits due to the lack of opportunities and the growing mental health problems. “For decades in the UK, one of the foundations of our social contract has been that each generation would do better than the last. This promise has been broken in this generation“Milburn said in the presentation of the report. Of the total number of inactive young people, 84% say they want to find a job or do a work internship.
The document warns that jobs in junior positions have been significantly reduced since the beginning of the century, as well as jobs with low or medium qualifications. “The first rung of the career ladder has become harder to reach. For too many young people, it is now simply out of reach. This puts them in a no-win situation, where employers demand work experience, but opportunities so that young people can acquire it have been reduced or have disappeared”has explained Milburn. Employers attribute the lack of opportunities to economic uncertainty and recent increases in the minimum wage for those under 21 years of age.
failed model
Both the current Labor Government and previous Conservative governments have launched plans to try to reincorporate inactive young people into the labor market, but the report points out that none of them have worked and warns, on the contrary, that the situation has worsened even more. To solve it, it indicates that it is necessary to carry out a complete reform of the system, including higher education, the health service and the criteria for accessing social benefits. Otherwise, its author assures, the number of inactive young people will increase by 25% in the next five years.
The lack of integration of young people in the labor market is already having a economic impact significant and is close to the 125 billion pounds annually (about 144,000 million euros). This situation not only affects State revenue, but especially the long-term economic livelihood of the affected people. “It is a savings that has never been accumulated, a home that has never been bought, a pension that has never been established,” Milburn said.
Government response
The prime minister, Keir Starmerhas put the reintegration of these young people into the labor market as one of its main priorities, with measures aimed at enhancing the vocational training as an alternative to university studies. Some of these measures will come into force next month, including support for 3,000 pounds (about 3,500 euros) for employers who offer labor practices to young people who have been unemployed for at least six months and also the guarantee of providing work for the long-term unemployed for at least half a year.
Starmer is aware of the need to reduce high spending on social benefits and to recover a workforce essential to achieve the goals. economic growth objectives. “This is a long-standing, complex and difficult problem. There is no single reason that explains it. That is why we will work with Alan [Milburn] to see “What else do we have to do?”he said this Thursday during a visit to a professional internship center. The next report, due in September, will set out concrete proposals to end a problem that is increasingly affecting the UK’s economy and social fabric.
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