Burnham Calls Youth Unemployment a ‘Moral Failure’
Andy Burnham has warned that almost a million young people not in education, employment or training represent an “economic catastrophe and moral failure”. Writing ahead of a youth jobs announcement expected this week, the prime minister said: “Benefits will become the backstop, not the starting point.” The Conservatives have labelled the strategy “a disaster”.
ONS figures show around 39% of the near-million so-called Neets are unemployed and 61% economically inactive. The number of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming unemployment-related benefits stands at 331,000, almost double the 2016 level, though below the peaks of around 500,000 after the 2008 financial crisis and the pandemic. The government will spend £353bn on welfare next year, just under half on the state pension. Burnham’s framing — investing in success rather than “paying for failure” — sets up a welfare argument that will run into the Budget.