In a development that should surprise absolutely no one with a functioning sense of empathy, the Milburn review of youth employment is set to recommend that the British state create and subsidise paid jobs for thousands of disabled young people. The goal? An "opportunity revolution" to reverse years of labour market discrimination. Because apparently, we needed a formal review to figure out that giving people jobs is better than leaving them behind.
The review, due to report this month, will suggest the government introduce "flexi-jobs" alongside employment subsidies and intensive skills support for disabled and chronically ill 16- to 24-year-olds. The state, it argues, should step in to underwrite jobs for young people locked out of employment and training - part of an overhaul of what it generously calls an "outdated" welfare and skills system. Outdated, like a fax machine in a TikTok world.
About a million young people are currently classified as "Neet" - not in education, employment or training. Nearly half (45%) of those are disabled or in ill health. Disabled young people are three times as likely to be Neet as their non-disabled peers. That's not a statistic; that's a flashing red warning light.
The review's author, former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, has called the soaring numbers of Neets a moral and economic crisis, warning of a "lost generation" if we don't tackle youth disengagement from work. He's also rejected the "myths" about young people being "snowflakes," insisting the crisis in youth mental health is real, most youngsters want to work, and it's the duty of government and employers to provide support and opportunities. In other words: they're not lazy; they're struggling. Who knew?
The review will say young people with disabilities need a flexible and supportive approach that acknowledges fluctuating medical conditions and lack of work experience, and recognises the importance of part-time roles in building confidence. One eye-catching recommendation: a Danish-style "flexi-job" scheme that guarantees disabled participants employment while allowing them to set working hours - sometimes starting with as few as four hours a week - with wages topped up by the government. Because, shockingly, not everyone can do a 9-to-5 from day one.
It will also call for "job carving": splitting the component parts of a single entry-level role and matching youngsters to each part. A retail job involving stock-filling, till work, and locking up becomes three separate opportunities. It's like breaking a chocolate bar into pieces so more people can have a bite - except with employment.
Nearly half of 24-year-old Neets have never worked, and Milburn argued in his interim report earlier this year that abandoning a cohort of Covid-era youngsters coping with high levels of depression, anxiety, autism, and ADHD would have a scarring effect on their life chances and lifetime earnings. Because nothing says "levelling up" like writing off a generation.
Although the government has said it won't endorse "crude cuts" to benefits, Milburn has suggested switching some of the £4bn a year spent on disability benefits for young people into comprehensive, high-quality employment and training support. He'll probably face pushback from campaigners and potentially backbench Labour MPs who argue that job support shouldn't be funded by disability benefit cuts that would push many young people into poverty and further from the job market. Because robbing Peter to pay Paul is still robbing Peter.
Milburn's proposals recognise that young people with disabilities face huge barriers around recruitment processes and inflexible job design, and many businesses are unlikely to create opportunities without government support. The plans echo the postwar Remploy scheme, which created state-funded workplaces providing "sheltered" employment for disabled ex-service personnel. At its height, Remploy had 90 factories across the UK, the last closing in 2013. Because history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme.
The review will urge large employers to voluntarily adopt employment targets for disabled 16- to 24-year-olds, though it's expected to stop short of recommending statutory quotas. Because voluntary targets have such a stellar track record.
As well as creating jobs, the review will call for a boost for job support, including supported internships, placements, specialist job matching and coaching, and support for employers to provide workplace adjustments. Milburn, who has been critical of the limited ambitions of existing government job support programmes, has previously called for a "turbo-charging" of specialist internships for young people with special educational needs moving on from school and college. Turbo-charging: because regular charging is apparently too slow.
The most common conditions reported by disabled Neets were depression, bad nerves or anxiety (23.8%), followed by autism (22.7%) and other health problems or disabilities (18.5%), according to the latest official figures. So, you know, maybe we should do something about it. Just a thought.