TUC urges greater youth jobs investment rather than arbitrary benefit cuts
Original report:
TUC leader Paul Nowak called for substantially more spending on employment support, education and training ahead of the Milburn review. In the Guardian’s November 2026 report, he argued that helping young people into work would ease welfare pressures.
Britain’s youth employment problems require a substantial increase in public investment, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak told the Guardian in reporting published on 9 November 2026. Ahead of Alan Milburn’s review of young people and work, Nowak urged ministers to expand employment support, education and training rather than impose arbitrary benefit cuts.
The Guardian reported that ministers expected the review to propose welfare cuts to finance support for almost a million young people outside education, employment or training. A government spokesperson said £2.5bn had already been pledged for youth employment support, covering almost 500,000 earning and learning opportunities, with further reforms to follow the review.
The debate concerns both funding and access to work. Nowak argued that stronger support would reduce welfare costs by helping young people find employment. Separately, the source described an employer-backed Jobs Foundation campaign aimed at young people overlooked for jobs, with Amazon, NatWest and Marks & Spencer among its supporters.
Source
the Guardian — 9 November 2026
AI-assisted news digest · May be published automatically without editorial review.