Sun, 28 Sep 2025

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 Reeves to guarantee paid work for young people unemployed for 18 months

The chancellor will commit to "the abolition of long-term youth unemployment" in her speech at Labour conference.

* Young people out of job or education for 18 months will be offered a guaranteed paid work placement
* Those who refuse to take up the offer without a reasonable excuse may face sanctions such as losing their benefits
* The scheme aims to help people build skills and get a full-time job, with an estimated 948,000 young people not in education, employment or training
* Businesses will be expected to cover at least some of the wages for job placements
* The government has not given a figure for the cost of the scheme but it will be funded from existing budgets
* Chancellor Rachel Reeves aims to abolish long-term youth unemployment and create a society founded on "contribution"
* The announcement was welcomed by the Federation of Small Businesses as "hugely important"
  >>