UK retailers urge government to tackle youth unemployment

Leading figures from the UK's retail sector are calling on the government to form an urgent partnership to address rising youth unemployment, warning that the traditional "ladder of opportunity" for young people is now "wobbling." The British Retail Consortium has drafted a letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which is expected to be formally published on Wednesday, June 10, and has garnered support from the chief executives of major chains including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Primark.

The letter calls for the establishment of a joint retail and government taskforce aimed at simplifying and enhancing regional and national support for youth employment. It also urges the government to reduce the costs associated with hiring young people and to ensure that recent employment and skills reforms support, rather than discourage, entry-level recruitment and career progression. The retail lobby group argues that new changes to the Employment Rights Act have made workforce management more complicated and increased the expense of bringing in young talent, thereby putting pressure on employers' ability to drive social mobility.