Labour's jobs plan would support 400,000 new jobs and put in place 'Jobs Promise' for young people

Friday, 23 April 2021 00:01

Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, today sets out Labour’s plan to create 400,000 secure jobs in low-carbon industries to boost employment and increase opportunities right across the country. Labour's £30bn green economic recovery would support hundreds of thousands of vital manufacturing jobs in communities across the country including in the steel, offshore wind, automotive and aerospace industries. Starmer is also calling on the Government to urgently...Request free trial

Labour's £30bn green economic recovery would support hundreds of thousands of vital manufacturing jobs in communities across the country including in the steel, offshore wind, automotive and aerospace industries.

Starmer is also calling on the Government to urgently transform its Kickstart scheme to prevent a lost generation of young people scarred by the effects of long-term unemployment.

New analysis published this week shows that Kickstart is helping less than four per cent of 16-24 year olds who’ve lost their job over the last year. For every 29 young people who’ve lost work during the pandemic, Kickstart has found work for just one.

In the South East, nearly 76,000 young people have lost their job over the last year, while there have only been 1,200 new starts made under Kickstart.

Labour has outlined its plans for a ‘Jobs Promise’ that any young person away from work for six months will be offered a quality education, training or employment opportunity.

Under its plans, Labour will also support job creation by filling the 127,000 vacancies currently in health and social care and 43,000 vacancies in education through improved training offers.

Labour has also called on the Government to do whatever it takes to save jobs at Liberty Steel, including thousands of jobs in the supply chain.

Keir Starmer MP, Leader of the Labour Party, said:

"Labour's plan to create hundreds of thousands of jobs would boost employment right across the country, creating secure employment in clean industries including our country's vital manufacturing industries.

"Under the Conservatives, our manufacturers have been neglected, putting jobs at risk whilst Ministers have done favours for their friends.

"The people of Britain deserve better - opportunities, fairness, and good jobs in their communities which are a source of pride and dignity. The Conservatives can't be trusted to deliver that."

Jonathan Reynolds MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said:

“The Chancellor’s Kickstart scheme is too slow and does not match the scale of challenge many young people in the UK face, and we can see some places are being hit particularly hard.

“With youth unemployment continuing to rise we need urgent action that matches the scale of the challenge. Labour’s Jobs Promise would deliver the urgent action needed to prevent a lost generation and to build a secure economy that spreads prosperity across the country.

“Successive Conservative governments have weakened Britain’s foundations and robbed too many people of the opportunity to achieve their potential. Going back to business as usual is not an option.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

Labour's green economic recovery: Green Recovery Report - The Labour Party
Across the country, Kickstart is only helping an average of 3.5% of young people who’ve lost their job over the last year.
For every 29 young people who have lost their job over the last twelve months, Kickstart has helped just one back into work.

Region/Country	Fall in youth employment (16-24 year olds) over the last year	New starts made under Kickstart	Fall in youth unemployment over the last year without Kickstart	Percentage of fall in youth unemployment Kickstart has tackled
East Midlands	8,027	660	8,687	7.6
East of England	20,429	780	21,209	3.7
London	67,132	2,600	69,732	3.7
North East	6,040	490	6,530	7.5
North West	52,410	1,700	54,110	3.1
Scotland	8,070	1,100	9,170	12.0
South East	75,897	1,200	77,097	1.6
South West	25,944	780	26,724	2.9
Wales	12,222	540	12,762	4.2
West Midlands	22,554	1,200	23,754	5.1
Yorkshire and The Humber	33,824	890	34,714	2.6
Total	332,549	11,940	344,489	3.5

Fall in youth employment (16-24 year olds) over the last year by region:

ONS, ‘Regional labour market: Estimates of employment by age’, 20 April 2021,

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/datasets/regionalemploymentbyagex01

New starts under Kickstart by region:

Mims Davies MP, ‘Question for Department for Work and Pensions: Kickstart Scheme’, 20 April 2021,

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-04-12/179100

How Labour’s Youth Jobs Promise would work:

Transform Kickstart into a commitment that every 16-24-year-old will be offered a quality education, training or employment opportunity before they have been out of employment, education or training for more than 6 months.
This could be support into a full-time FE or HE course, an apprenticeship or a work placement.
Labour is calling again for the UK government to put unspent funds from its apprenticeship levy towards a wage subsidy that could create 85,000 new apprenticeships for young people aged between 16 and 24 this year.
Existing Kickstart placements that have not taken place yet would still do so
Traineeships and Sector-Based Work Academies would provide further options for young people
Unspent apprentice levy funds would be redirected to agencies or combined authorities to create apprenticeships for young people out of employment, education or training.
Rules would be relaxed to allow firms to pass more levy funds onto their supply chains to create apprenticeships or placements rather than leave it unspent.