Former M&S chief appointed to tackle UK youth unemployment crisis | Young people
A former chief executive of Marks & Spencer has been appointed as the government’s jobs adviser in a bid to tackle the growing youth unemployment crisis.
Marc Bolland, who oversaw the retail chain from 2010 to 2016, will lead a summit of business leaders amid warnings that the country risks a “lost generation” without urgent action.
Approximately 1 million people (approximately one in eight) aged between 16 and 24 are neither in education, employment nor training. An interim report published on Thursday by former health secretary Alan Milburn warned that this group, known as Neets, could grow to 1.25 million by the 2030s unless radical action is taken.
In light of Milburn’s findings, Bolland has been appointed as chief non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Downing Street said on Saturday.
Bolland, who also leads supermarket Morrisons, is understood to have been chosen for the role thanks to his existing relationship with the DWP through the Help Action Movement. The government said cooperation with the Labor Movement has already helped more than 200,000 unemployed young people find work.
The government said Bolland would work with “leading executives across sectors” to “create clear pathways to work and tackle the long-standing problem of youth unemployment.”
He also added that he would advise work and pensions minister Pat McFadden on how the government should respond to Milburn’s findings. McFadden said Bolland’s appointment sent a “clear signal” that the government was “serious about tackling this problem” of youth unemployment.
It is understood a central part of Bolland’s role will be working with charities that support disabled young people to ensure they have access to education and employment opportunities.
Bolland said he was “honoured and passionate” about working with the government. He added: “I know that working hand in hand with business to support young people gives them the best possible chance of success.”
The rate of Neets in the UK is significantly higher than in many other developed countries. In the Netherlands, around 5% of young people aged 16 to 24 are not in education or work, while in Britain the figure is around 12.5%.
Milburn’s report found that six in 10 young people have no jobs, compared to four in 10 in 2005. The economic cost of the crisis is estimated to be around £125 billion.
He said an increasing number of young people were being judged unsuitable for work due to health issues such as anxiety, depression and neurodevelopmental conditions.
But it is estimated that for every £25 the government spends on help for young people, it allocates just £1 to helping them find work. Nearly half of those who claimed health or disability benefits before age 24 are still unemployed or uneducated a decade later.
