Q+A with Alan Milburn on his 'Young People and Work' report

[RhiannonEMumsnet]

Hi there,

As you may have seen in the news this morning, Alan Milburn has today published his Young People and Work interim report. He warns that Britain is “at risk of a lost generation” unless urgent action is taken to tackle the growing number of young people not in education, employment or training. The review looks at everything from the reduction in entry-level jobs and apprenticeships to barriers within welfare, education and mental health support — and argues that the current system is failing to help young people build stable adult lives.

We know this is a subject of huge concern to lots of Mumsnetters, and we’re pleased to announce that next week Alan will be sitting down with Justine to answer your questions.

If there’s something you’d like to ask him, then please do post it below. As ever, one question per user please, and keep it civil. We’ll be tight on time, so short, focused questions will help us get through as many as possible. And watch this space to hear the answers!

Thanks,
MNHQ

Thanks.

'while previous reviews have tended to see the NEET issue mainly through a supply-side lens, this chapter argues that the demand side now matters at least as much: how the labour market is structured, how employers recruit, and how easy or difficult it has become for young people to get a foothold. '

So let's look at the labour market they’re trying to enter.

Small/medium-sized businesses employ around 16.9 million people in the UK, about 60% of the private sector workforce. Small businesses alone account for around 13 million jobs. Tax, NI, and legal compliance are getting absurdly difficult and complex, as well as expensive. The UK is getting more litigous and ever based on rules and legalities.

Large corps absorb HR, legal and compliance costs far more easily than a café, shop, contractor or local firm with a handful of staff.

So, employers have to rely more on temporary contracts and agencies. They automate where they can and avoid taking chances on people who need training.

Business groups have already warned MPs that rising employment costs are making firms less willing to hire younger or less experienced workers. The Federation of Small Businesses say more than a quarter of firms have reduced staff numbers.

We can’t solve this just by blaming young people. If most jobs come from small businesses, and small businesses increasingly feel they cannot afford the risk of hiring, then more young people are inevitably going to end up shut out of work.

What concrete steps can you take to encourage and support SMEs? This requires large step measures. When will government listen to the FSB and small businesses?

The cost, stress, and complexity of compliance are absurd and have become increasingly difficult in the past few years. We need clear routes and structures specifically for small/micro businesses that consider how they are genuinely different from large corps and the public sector, and ensure the system serves them.

Please listen to, and consider, the SME sector!

I often see a pattern of young people starting benefits early and this having the effect of decreasing motivation, dismantling their routine of being up early in the morning, and frankly enabling addiction to alcohol and weed. After a few years of this they’re unemployable and often with MH issues. Is this pattern something you observed in your study and would removing benefits for the under 25s have a painful but necessary role in stopping this?

Too many of our children are leaving school without experience, direction, meaning or motivation.

What practical steps would you support for 16–19 year olds (and ideally starting before they get to this age) who are not suited to university or interested in traditional trades, particularly around creating a clear national pathway into work experience, internships and apprenticeships — including a single UCAS-style system for finding and applying for opportunities before young people become disconnected altogether?

What opportunities can you create for young people like my son (autism/ADD/learning disabled) who want to work but might only be capable of narrow tasks.

As an example he could push trolleys in a supermarket but I am told that supermarkets don’t want this, they want young people able to do ever. That was advice from a specialist employment advisor used to placing young adults like my son into jobs with support,

it’s so frustrating as he’s left to flounder. Education isn’t for him although we continue to try abd push this. At 23 it’s easy to see he’s being left behind and nobody cares.

I haven't read the full report but I've seen the coverage today and I think it's pretty terrifying - but good that this is being highlighted. But my question to Alan is do you think there is actually the political will to respond to this crisis? We know there's a problem, but what are the government going to do about it?