Labour to offer young people with disabilities and health conditions guaranteed jobs in bid to bring back hope to thousands

• Thousands of young people with disabilities and health conditions set to benefit from fully funded jobs, as Labour acts to tackle the UK's persistently high disability employment gap.
• Move comes as the number of young people who are NEET and report having a disability has more than doubled over the past decade.
• New fast track for young people on health benefits forms part of a £2.5 billion investment to support almost a million young people towards work

Thousands of young people with disabilities and long-term health conditions are set to be offered fast-tracked employment under the Government's Jobs Guarantee.  

The announcement comes as Labour gathers in Liverpool for its Annual Conference, with the Government pledging to bring hope back to Britain by taking practical action to make people's lives better now while delivering the long-term change communities across the country need.

As part of that mission, this Labour Government is determined to tackle problems that have been ducked for too long including ensuring that a generation of young people is not written off from the world of work.

Under the scheme, eligible young people on health benefits will be offered a guaranteed job on a voluntary basis just three months after their Work Capability Assessment.

They will receive mentoring and tailored support with their mental health, finances and housing to prepare them for work from partner organisations, while employers will be supported with onboarding costs.

The Government will also cover 100% of wage costs for up to 25 hours a week for six months.

The move marks a significant expansion of the Jobs Guarantee, a government scheme launched earlier this year for long-term unemployed young people aged 18-24 who have been claiming Universal Credit for 18 months.

The expansion to young people on health benefits after just 13 weeks, will start from April 2027. 

Pat McFadden MP, Labour's Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said:   

I've seen how the Jobs Guarantee is already changing lives and now we are putting long-term sick and disabled people at the front of the queue from April next year.  

For many young people, this will be the first chance they've had of a real paid job, and the dignity and self-respect that comes with that. 

Steve Rotheram, Labour Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:

Too many young people with disabilities or long-term health conditions have spent years being told what they can't do, rather than being given the chance to show what they can. This is exactly the kind of intervention that can change lives

A proper job can be transformational: bringing not just a pay packet, but independence, confidence and a sense of purpose. By backing young people with practical support and giving employers the confidence to take them on, we can help unlock talent that too often goes overlooked.

Every young person deserves the chance to fulfil their potential, whatever their circumstances. I'm really pleased to see our government putting that principle into practice and giving thousands more young people a foot in the door and the opportunity to build a future in work.

Earlier this year, Alan Milburn's interim report found that nearly half of young people who are NEET in the UK (45%) report having a disability - more than doubling from 21.1% in 2013/14. 

Widening eligibility for the scheme to young disabled people means thousands will have the chance to join the scheme which is intended to help up to 90,000 young people into work by the end of the Parliament. 

This comes as part of the Government's efforts to tackle the UK's persistently high disability employment gap, including the 'right to try' announced earlier this year, which will enable those on sickness benefits to try work without the immediate fear of losing their benefits.  

This Government believes every young person aged should have the opportunity to earn or learn, with £2.5 billion committed over the next three years to Youth Guarantee schemes including £3,000 payments for businesses who hire a young person out of work for six months, and an expansion of youth apprenticeships. 

Today's announcement forms part of Labour's wider plan to put people and communities first: giving families greater breathing space now while building a stronger economy for the future, with growth in every postcode.

And where governments have previously shied away from difficult challenges such as getting young people with disabilities into work, this Government is determined to act so that a young person's disability or health condition does not determine whether they have the chance to get on life and build a better future.