Government spends 25 times more on benefits than jobs for young people, says Milburn

The authorities spends 25 times arsenic overmuch connected benefits for young radical than it does connected supporting them into work, the writer of a large reappraisal into younker inactivity has said.

Former curate Alan Milburn told the BBC that this was "shameful" and with astir a cardinal young radical not successful enactment oregon acquisition (Neets), a implicit "system reset" was needed.

In an exclusive interrogation with Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Milburn said it was perfectly indispensable Labour reformed the payment system, adjacent though the authorities had shelved immoderate planned payment reforms successful the look of absorption from their ain MPs.

The archetypal portion of his government-commissioned study into the contented volition beryllium published this week.

Milburn's calculations are based connected the magnitude spent connected 16 and 24 twelvemonth olds taking portion successful halfway employment programmes funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus.

Spending connected Welfare is based connected the magnitude spent connected cardinal benefits similar Universal Credit, PLP, Job Seekers' Allowance, PIP and Disability Living Allowance. The afloat methodology volition beryllium published successful the study aboriginal this week.

The erstwhile Labour wellness caput nether Tony Blair was asked by the authorities to analyse wherefore truthful galore young radical were successful the presumption of not working, studying oregon taking portion successful grooming programmes - the highest level for much than 10 years.

There were 957,000 young radical who were Neet successful the UK from October to December 2025 - equivalent to 12.8% of radical successful that property category, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, released successful February.

More than fractional of those were deemed to beryllium economically inactive arsenic they were not looking for work.

When Milburn's archetypal study is published this week helium said it volition reason that the occupation was a effect of a wide nonaccomplishment connected behalf the state.

"This is simply a failure. This is the nonaccomplishment of the payment system, but it's a failure, I'm sorry, of the schoolhouse system, the skills system, the wellness system," helium told the programme.

"We're not prioritising getting young radical into a concern wherever they tin beryllium learning oregon earning and alternatively we're transporting them into the satellite of benefits with incalculable costs for their beingness chances."

He highlighted a cardinal uncovering of the study connected the disparity betwixt the magnitude of wealth spent connected supporting young radical connected benefits and however overmuch goes into state-funded programmes to assistance them into work.

"What is shameful [...] is that arsenic we've uncovered successful the people of this reappraisal for each £25 that we walk keeping young radical connected benefits, we walk lone a lb helping them get into enactment done employment support," helium said.

Welfare betterment 'absolutely essential'

Milburn's main recommendations to tackle the occupation volition beryllium published aboriginal this year, but helium said determination had to beryllium a strategy reset, portion of which had to beryllium betterment of the benefits system.

Directly addressing those successful the Labour Party tense astir reforms to payment helium said: "Labour is what it says connected the tin.

"It's the enactment of work. Work gives purpose. Work gives income. Work gives meaning."

He continued: 'Welfare betterment is perfectly indispensable and needs to beryllium done. But arsenic I said, it's got to beryllium wrong the discourse of a wider acceptable of reforms to authorities institutions."

In his study Milburn volition besides item the challenges young radical look getting into work, concluding that the summation successful intelligence wellness problems is real.

However, helium volition reason specified diagnoses should not mean young radical are not expected oregon encouraged into the enactment place.

He said determination were less part-time jobs for young people, saying helium had been sacked from his archetypal occupation doing a insubstantial circular erstwhile helium was 13 successful Newcastle.

"Like each teen boys, conjecture what? I couldn't get retired of bed," helium said.

So helium said helium was sacked for not delivering the papers.

"It's the lone clip successful my beingness truthful far, anyway, I've ever been sacked from anything." helium said.

However helium said helium had learned from the experience.

"Effort and reward, there's thing going connected present and nowadays the fig of young radical who are really successful employment has been falling and it's been falling astir apt for astir 25 years.

"Entry level jobs are disappearing, truthful the jobs that you utilized to beryllium capable to get for the archetypal rung connected the ladder, they've gone," helium said.