Sir Keir Starmer has enlisted the former chief executive of Marks & Spencer, Marc Bolland, to spearhead efforts to address the escalating youth unemployment crisis, which has left over one million young people in Britain without work, education, or training.
The alarming scale of the issue was highlighted this week in a report by former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn, revealing that the problem costs the UK £125 billion annually—more than the entire education budget and nearly double defence spending. The review warned that Britain risks creating a "lost generation" unless urgent action is taken.
Marc Bolland has been appointed as lead non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). His primary role will be to convene business leaders from various sectors to help reduce the number of 16-to-24-year-olds classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training). Bolland's charity, Movement to Work, has already assisted over 200,000 unemployed young people into employment.
The government stated that Bolland will work to "expand opportunity, create clear routes into work, and tackle the long-standing challenge of youth unemployment." He will also advise Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden on the government's response to the Milburn Review.
McFadden commented: "The number of young people not in education, employment, or training is a serious challenge that has been allowed to persist for too long. That is why I asked Alan Milburn to look hard at the underlying causes and what it will take to fix them. Marc Bolland's appointment sends a clear signal that we are serious about tackling that challenge. His track record in business and through Movement to Work make him uniquely placed to bring employers together and open up real opportunities for young people who need them most."
McFadden added: "I have also commissioned senior officials in my department to examine how we can go even further in supporting young people, particularly those with health conditions. This work will be done together with employers, charities, disabled people's organisations, and young people themselves."
Bolland said: "As founder and chairman of Movement to Work, we have, in close cooperation with DWP, brought over 200,000 NEETs into work. I am honoured and passionate to join the DWP now. I believe the government is serious about tackling this generational crisis of youth unemployment, and I know that working hand in hand with business to support young people gives them the best possible chance of success."
The Milburn Review identified the growing NEET crisis as a consequence of a "whole-system failure," resulting in a lack of entry-level jobs for young people. Without urgent intervention, the number of NEET young people is projected to rise from one in eight to one in six by 2031, affecting 1.25 million individuals.
Sir Keir described the report as "sobering" and stated he "will not allow a lost generation." However, businesses have criticised the Labour government for making it more difficult to create new jobs for young people, citing increases in the minimum wage and national insurance contributions. Milburn acknowledged that the government must "minimise the risks for the employer" and "maximise their incentives" to bring more young people into the workforce, but he argued that the minimum wage rise "is not the root cause of the problem" and that the crisis has "no easy solutions."
