Alan Milburn’dan Şok Rapor: Gençler İçin İşten 25 Kat Daha Fazla Yardım Harcıyoruz!

The government spends 25 times as much on benefits for young people than it does on supporting them into work, the author of a major review into youth inactivity has said. Alan Milburn, the former minister and now a prominent figure in youth welfare discussions, didn’t hold back in an interview with the BBC, calling the situation “shameful.” As it stands, nearly a million young people in the UK find themselves in a tough spot, not engaged in work, training, or education — a category known as NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training).

Milburn pointed out that this troubling statistic is not just a number; it represents lives being put on hold. He emphasized that a complete “system reset” is needed to address this issue. In a candid conversation on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he asserted that it is absolutely essential for the Labour party to reform the welfare system, despite the government recently shelving some planned benefit reforms due to pushback from their own MPs. The first part of his government-commissioned report is expected to be released this week and promises to shed light on these alarming trends.

Now, let’s talk numbers. Milburn’s findings are based on spending patterns for those aged 16 to 24 involved in core employment programs funded by the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus. Meanwhile, spending on welfare is calculated from the funds allocated to critical benefits like Universal Credit and Job Seekers’ Allowance. The disparity he highlighted is staggering — for every £25 spent keeping young people on benefits, only a measly pound is allocated to help them secure jobs. Now, isn’t that something to ponder?

When we dig deeper, the report reveals another startling fact: the number of NEETs in the UK hit 957,000 from October to December 2025, which translates to about 12.8% of young people in that age bracket, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. Over half of these individuals were classified as economically inactive, meaning they weren’t even looking for work. Milburn didn’t mince words when he described this as a failure across various systems — welfare, education, and health. “We’re not prioritising getting young people into a situation where they can be learning or earning,” he lamented, indicating a systemic failure that has far-reaching consequences.

The ex-Labour health secretary, who served under Tony Blair, was commissioned by the government to investigate the reasons behind this surge in youth inactivity, which has reached its highest point in over a decade. His report is expected to conclude that the root of the issue lies in widespread state failure. “This is a failure… a failure of the welfare system, of the school system, the skills system, the health system,” he stressed during the interview.

Milburn’s upcoming recommendations aim to tackle this issue head-on, asserting that a system reset must include a revamp of the benefits framework. Addressing concerns from within the Labour Party about welfare reforms, he made it clear: “Labour is what it says on the tin. It’s the party of work. Work gives purpose. Work gives income. Work gives meaning.” The urgency of welfare reform, he adds, cannot be overstated, but it must be part of a broader set of reforms affecting state institutions.

Moreover, the report will address the challenges young people face when seeking employment, including the alarming rise in mental health issues. However, Milburn contends that such diagnoses shouldn’t exempt young folks from being expected or encouraged to enter the workforce. He pointed out the shrinking number of part-time jobs available and shared a personal anecdote from his youth about getting fired from his first job delivering newspapers at just 13 years old in Newcastle. “Like all adolescent boys, guess what? I couldn’t get out of bed,” he chuckled. Yet, he learned a valuable lesson: effort and reward are intimately linked.

Milburn also noted that many young people are sending out dozens or even hundreds of job applications, often without hearing back. James Reed, the chief executive of the recruitment agency Reed Group, criticized this lack of response from employers, describing it as “not good behavior.” The job market is tough right now, with vacancies continuing to decline relentlessly. Reed also urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reconsider the recently proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions, arguing that it’s making it “more expensive and more difficult for employers.”

In a world where, ironically, three in four people in Afghanistan can’t meet basic needs, the UK job landscape is also grim. Recent reports show that job vacancies have plummeted to their lowest level in five years, a trend exacerbated by the initial impacts of the war in Iran on businesses. The Bank of England’s latest financial report hints at the profound effects the conflict will have on our economy. The decline in vacancies is largely driven by a growing number of individuals who are no longer actively seeking work. Stella Black, a job seeker, shared her frustration, stating she has applied for hundreds of jobs but received minimal responses.

Kaynak: Orijinal Haber