Starmer hires ex-M&S chief to tackle youth unemployment crisis
Sir Keir Starmer has hired the former boss of Marks & Spencer to help tackle the youth unemployment crisis, which has left more than 1 million people unemployed, uneducated and untrained.
The shocking extent of the problem was revealed this week in a report showing it costs the UK £125bn a year – more than it spends on education and almost twice its defense budget.
The bombshell review, led by former Labor health secretary Alan Milburn, warned Britain was in danger of creating a “lost generation” unless serious action was taken to tackle the problem.
Now Marc Bolland has been appointed chief non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and will be tasked with bringing together business leaders to help tackle the number of young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
The government said Mr Bolland, whose charity Work Action has helped more than 200,000 unemployed young people into work, would bring together leading executives from across sectors to help “expand opportunities, create clear pathways into work and tackle the long-standing problem of youth unemployment”.
He will also advise Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden on the government’s response to the Milburn Review.
“The number of young people not in education, employment or training is a serious problem that has been allowed to continue for too long. That’s why I asked Alan Milburn to take an in-depth look at the underlying causes and what needs to be done to fix them.
“Marc Bolland’s appointment sends a clear signal that we are serious about tackling this challenge. His track record in business and through the Movement to Work puts him in a unique position to bring employers together and deliver real opportunities to the young people who need them most,” Mr McFadden said.
He added: “I have also commissioned senior officials in my department to examine how we can further improve the support we provide to young people, particularly young people with health problems. And I have asked for this to be done in conjunction with employers, charities, disability organizations and young people themselves.”
Mr Bolland said: “As founder and chairman of Movement to Work, we have brought more than 200,000 NEETs into work, working closely with the DWP, and I am now honored and passionate about joining the DWP.
“I believe the government is serious about tackling the generation-long youth unemployment crisis and I know that working hand in hand with business to support young people gives them the best possible chance of success.”
Mr Milburn said the growing NEET crisis was the result of a “whole system failure” that had led to a lack of entry-level jobs for young people.
He warned that unless urgent action is taken, the number of young people who are NEET will rise from one in eight to one in six by 2031, affecting 1.25 million young people.
Sir Keir described Mr Milburn’s report as “serious” and said he would “not allow a lost generation to emerge”.
But businesses have criticized the Labor government for making it harder to create new jobs for young people; Others blamed increases in the minimum wage and national insurance contributions.
Mr Milburn said on Thursday the government needed to “minimise the risks to employers” and “maximize their incentives” to get more young people into the workforce.
But the increase in the minimum wage “is not the root cause of the problem,” he said, adding that there is “no easy solution” to the crisis.
