UK retailers seek to create 100,000 jobs for young unemployed over next 3 years
About 40 retailers will offer more than 11,000 placements as ministers aim to move young Universal Credit claimants into permanent jobs.
- On Tuesday, the British Retail Consortium and Department for Work and Pensions launched 'Opening Shift', a scheme aiming to create 100,000 jobs for NEETs aged 18–24 by the 2029 election.
- Government data shows 981,000 people aged 16–24 were classified as NEET between April and June 2026, a figure 30,000 higher than in 2025 amid the 'no experience, no job' cycle.
- Approximately 40 retailers, including Tesco and John Lewis, have signed up to provide more than 11,000 placements of two-to-four weeks, allowing eligible Universal Credit claimants to retain benefits.
- Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the scheme offers 'huge' benefits and an end-of-placement interview, aiming to convert experience into permanent hires while expanding beyond retail.
- Ministers have commissioned Blair-era cabinet minister Alan Milburn to provide recommendations on cutting youth unemployment, alongside recruiting former M&S chairman Marc Bolland to lead business engagement.
30 Articles
30 Articles
Britain's biggest employers to offer thousands of youngsters on benefits work experience in bid to drive down 'Neet' crisis
Tesco, John Lewis, Curry’s and Costa Coffee will be offered directly to young Universal Credit claimants in a programme dubbed “Opening Shift”.
Unemployment crisis: Tesco, John Lewis and more to offer 100,000 jobs to young NEETs under Labour scheme
Some 40 of Britain's largest retailers, among them Tesco, John Lewis, Curry's and Costa Coffee, have committed to providing more than 11,000 work experience placements for young people claiming Universal Credit.The initiative, branded "Opening Shift", has been jointly organised by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) as part of the Government's drive to reduce youth unemployment.The scheme is specifi…
Tesco and Boots lead 100,000 jobs pledge to tackle Neet crisis
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 a new scheme to offer young people unpaid work experience, followed by interviews for paid roles. The commitment to address the youth joblessness cris…
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