In a speech on Monday, the U.K.’s Labour Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, unveiled a new welfare approach aimed at preventing young, able individuals from succumbing to long-term unemployment.
The party’s plan emphasizes skill development and mental health support, and the initiative seeks to deploy additional employment advisers dedicated to assisting youth in seeking employment. As it relates to mental health and wellness support, Kendall stated that the party would recruit 8,500 more mental health workers and ensured that the sickness benefits bill will fall under Labour, according to the Guardian.
The plan follows the release of updated statistics revealing that over 850,000 young people aged 16-24 are currently out of education, employment, or training — a figure that has increased by 20,000 within just one year, according to a report published by The Daily Mail.
“Under our changed Labour Party, if you can work there will be no option of a life on benefits,” Kendall said during the speech.
The Labour party has taken the stance that “a life on benefits” is not a sustainable option, and early unemployment or lack of qualifications can have a detrimental effect on an individual’s future job prospects and earnings. The strong stance also follows previous figures from The Department for Work and Pensions which notes that since the Covid pandemic, the number of people inactive due to long-term sickness or disability has risen to a record high of 2.6 million.
According to a report published by the South Wales Guardian, Kendall promises to hire 1,000 new career advisors for Labour’s Young Future hubs, designed to offer customized, expert support.
This policy announcement comes at a critical time when the need for proactive measures to bring young people into the U.K. workforce is more pressing than ever. By focusing on skills training and providing robust support systems, Labour aims to ensure that the youth of today are well-equipped to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s job market.
