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Unemployment: Young People

Question for Department for Work and Pensions

UIN HL1138, tabled on 7 October 2024

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Labour Force Survey released by the Office for National Statistics on 10 September, which shows there were 597,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who were unemployed from May to July, an increase of 51,000 from the previous year; and what steps they are taking to take to reduce youth unemployment.

Answered on

16 October 2024

Government understands the negative effects of unemployment can be particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings potential and life chances. This is why in our plan to get Britain Working we will introduce a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support. This will sit alongside a new national jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, work health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open new opportunities for young people.

Currently through the Youth Offer, we provide labour market support to young people aged 16-24 claiming Universal Credit through a range of tailored interventions to help reduce the barriers young people may face, bringing them closer to work or education.

Jobcentre Plus School Advisers target support to young people that schools have identified as being at greatest risk of not being in work or education, or who may be disadvantaged in the labour market.