# Bad jobs or benefits? Milburn should force employers to help the young | Richard Partington

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/bad-jobs-or-benefits-milburn-should-force-employers-to-help-the-young-richard-partington/
- Published: 2026-11-15T12:25:16+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T13:04:16+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/nov/15/firms-labour-youth-employment-push
- Topics: Business, Economy, Politics

## Key points

- Milburn is expected to propose benefit cuts tied to job or training guarantees.
- Almost a million young people are outside education, work or training.
- The article says employers must create better entry-level opportunities.

## Summary

Alan Milburn’s review of youth employment is expected to propose cutting benefits for under-25s in return for a legal guarantee of a job or training. The article argues that benefit rules alone cannot resolve the crisis: too few entry-level jobs, poor-quality work and limited employer support are also keeping young people out of work.

Almost a million young people are not in education, employment or training, and under-25s now account for about 40% of unemployment. Their unemployment rate has risen at its fastest pace since the 2008 financial crisis, while opportunities vary sharply by region: the article says young jobseekers in Rotherham face a sixfold gap in opportunity compared with peers in the Cotswolds. It also points to insecure, low-paid work and rising in-work poverty, and calls for employers to offer more outreach, work experience and entry-level roles.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.