Tesco and Boots lead 100,000 jobs pledge to tackle Neets crisis Retail Tesco, Boots and dozens of other retailers have pledged to create 100,000 new jobs in a bid to tackle the youth unemployment crisis, which they say is trapping young people in a “doom loop”. A group of top high street firms – which also includes Asda, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer – have joined [...]
Reed CEO: Graduate jobs crisis is getting worse Opinion With graduate job postings continuing to plummet, youth unemployment should be treated as a national crisis, writes James Reed.
UK economy’s rebound fails to stem two years of mass job losses Economics A rebound in the UK economy over August has failed to turn around the country’s flagging labour market after nearly two years of job losses, new estimates have shown. Data tracked by S&P Global suggested the UK’s private sector grew at the fastest pace in four months in August despite concerns around business costs and [...]
Goldman: Junior white-collar workers squeezed hardest by AI hiring slump August 19, 2026 Artificial intelligence is beginning to weigh most heavily on junior white-collar jobs, according to Goldman Sachs, as new research points to a growing divide between workers entering industries such as consulting and advertising, and their more experienced colleagues. The Wall Street bank analysed employment across more than 800 occupations and found that AI-related hiring pressures [...]
Jobless Banquet: Youth unemployment surge ‘sends Neets to KFC’ August 18, 2026 A surge in youth unemployment has fuelled the rise of chicken shops across British high streets as young people not in work, education or training – known as Neets – have flocked to fast food, a consultancy has argued. Analysts at Baringa, a consultancy with more than 2,000 employees, have drawn a link between the [...]
Public sector makes wage growth higher than expected August 18, 2026 Wage growth was higher than expected as pay offers in the public sector far outweighed growth in the private sector, new data has revealed. Official statistics have shown that wage growth, including bonuses, reached 4.1 per cent between April and June compared to a market forecast of four per cent. This was still lower than [...]
Bank of England holds interest rates but warns of rises to come July 30, 2026 The Bank of England has opted to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent after the UK economy surprised economists with better results for inflation – though policymakers warned that “policy strategy could change” ahead of a difficult second half of the year for price stability. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held interest rates in [...]
I’m a 21-year-old grad, why does the government want me to go on the dole to get a job? July 30, 2026 Oliver Dean was turned away from Job Centre because he wasn’t already on benefit. No wonder the welfare bill is ballooning Andy Burnham’s answer to youth unemployment has arrived. It begins with 14-year-olds, and the new technical pathways reach classrooms in September 2028. There is a great deal to be said for it and, as [...]
If Andy Burnham really wants to help NEETs he should rule out tax rises July 29, 2026 Andy Burnham’s announcements on technical education are welcome, but they will be meaningless if young people have no jobs to move into. The Budget will be the real test of how he plans to grow the economy, says Georgiana Bristol Andy Burnham has descended from the North with an array of new pledges and spending [...]
Burnham premiership begins with decline in job postings July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham’s premiership has kicked off with disconcerting news for job seekers, setting up new government ministers for a difficult few months in supporting the UK labour market. The Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of vacancies fell by 7,000 between April and June, with the biggest falls coming in areas such as [...]