Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Youth Unemployment

Monday 8 March 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Youth unemployment rose by 420,000 to reach 600,000 in the previous year.
  • The Government's Kickstart programme has secured only 4,000 job placements for young people.
  • The Department for Work and Pensions aims to provide support through a 30 billion plan for jobs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rushanara Ali Lab Bethnal Green and Stepney
Employment
Context

Youth unemployment increased by 420,000 to reach 600,000 last year, with projections indicating it could rise to one million. The government's kickstart programme has only facilitated 4,000 placements despite employer involvement.

Question

Happy International Women's Day, Mr Speaker. Last year, youth unemployment went up by 420,000, reaching 600,000, and it is set to reach 1 million, yet the Government's kickstart programme has got only 4,000 young people into work, despite employers providing placements. Will the Minister explain by what date her Department's own target of 200,000 placements will be met?

Answer from Mims Davies

The hon. Lady is absolutely correct: we are converting more than 140,000 job placements into starts and 30,000 jobs are currently being advertised. In her area, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets has approval for more than 500 kickstart opportunities in a variety of sectors across the borough. A virtual youth hub is also operating in Tower Hamlets to support people and we hope it will move to face-to-face contact shortly. There are 119 new work coaches in Hoxton and a new temporary Jobcentre Plus is opening in Leman Street in Tower Hamlets in April.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific date for meeting the target of 200,000 kickstart programme placements was not provided.

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Q2 Rushanara Ali Lab Bethnal Green and Stepney
Employment
Context

Youth unemployment increased by 420,000 to reach 600,000 last year. The government's kickstart programme has only facilitated 4,000 placements despite employer involvement.

Question

Last year, youth unemployment went up by 420,000, reaching 600,000, and it is set to reach 1 million, yet the Government's kickstart programme has got only 4,000 young people into work, despite employers providing placements. Will the Minister explain by what date her Department's own target of 200,000 placements will be met?

Answer from Mims Davies

This Government are committed to providing support to help young people move into work and avoid the scarring effects of long-term unemployment as we recover from the pandemic. The £30 billion plan for jobs includes new youth hubs and specific interventions targeted at young people. Our DWP youth offer and the kickstart programme are designed to move young people towards meaningful and sustained employment opportunities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific date for meeting the target of 200,000 kickstart programme placements was not provided.

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How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)