TUC chief urges greater investment to tackle youth unemployment

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak says tackling Britain’s youth jobs crisis will require substantially more investment in employment support, education and training. He argues that helping young people into work could boost the economy and reduce future pressure on the welfare bill, and urges ministers to avoid arbitrary benefit cuts.

His comments come ahead of Alan Milburn’s review of young people and work, expected this week, which may recommend benefit changes to fund support for nearly one million young people not in education, employment or training. The government says it has pledged £2.5bn for youth employment support, covering almost 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, and is working with businesses to create up to 200,000 jobs. Polling cited in the article found the youth jobs crisis ranked second among public concerns, after the cost of living.