Almost 1 million youngsters out of work what the hell is happening ?

 

It’s genuinely encouraging to see The Sun putting serious weight behind this issue. For too long the NEET crisis has sat in the background while everyone talks about housing targets, economic growth and productivity. The reality is simple: none of those ambitions happen if nearly a million young people are disconnected from work, training and opportunity.

 

The Sun on Sunday’s Build A Better Britain campaign deserves credit for bringing the conversation into the mainstream and, importantly, for highlighting real people and businesses already trying to make a difference on the ground including the work being done through trades, apprenticeships and companies like East Midlands Masonry.

 

But there is also a fair question to ask.

 

Are we listening enough to the people actually dealing with this every day?

 

Marc Bolland is undoubtedly an accomplished businessman. He has led some of Britain’s biggest companies and his charity work through Movement to Work is well respected. Lord Austin is passionate about the issue and has rightly challenged the country to take youth unemployment seriously. Nobody can question the intent.

 

The question is whether Whitehall risks looking at this problem from too high up the ladder.

 

Because when you’re on building sites, in colleges, speaking to small builders, subcontractors, housing providers and employers, the frustrations are remarkably similar.

 

Young people are often willing.

 

Employers are often willing.

 

The system in the middle is what seems broken.

 

The Government-backed review led by Alan Milburn estimates the NEET crisis is costing Britain around £125 billion every year. That figure includes lost economic output, lost tax revenues, welfare spending and wider social costs.  

 

To put that into perspective, the report itself shows around £25 is spent on benefits for every £1 spent helping young people into employment support.  

 

That should stop the country in its tracks.

 

Nobody is suggesting young people should be abandoned or benefits removed. Some have genuine health issues, difficult backgrounds and significant barriers to work.

 

But surely part of the conversation has to be this:

 

Why are we spending billions managing unemployment instead of investing more aggressively in employment?

 

Why aren’t more wage subsidy schemes being offered to SMEs?

 

Why isn’t more Apprenticeship Levy money reaching smaller employers who actually train people?

 

Why do so many businesses tell me they would take on apprentices tomorrow if the process was simpler and the support more practical?

 

Construction alone is crying out for people.

 

We need bricklayers.

 

Groundworkers.

 

Joiners.

 

Electricians.

 

Roofers.

 

Plasterers.

 

Plant operators.

 

Site supervisors.

 

The list goes on.

 

Yet we continue hearing that labour shortages are forcing companies to recruit overseas while, at the same time, more than a million young Britons are not in education, employment or training.  

 

Something doesn’t quite add up.

 

The answer is not blaming young people.

 

In fact, one of the most important findings from the Milburn review is that the overwhelming majority of NEET young people actually want work, training or opportunity.  

 

Many apply for dozens of jobs and hear nothing back. Many have never been given a first chance.  

 

That is why this debate matters.

 

Not because we need another report.

 

Not because we need another headline.

 

But because behind every statistic is a young person who could become a tradesperson, entrepreneur, engineer, site manager, business owner or employer.

 

The Sun deserves recognition for helping keep this issue in the spotlight.

 

The challenge now is making sure the voices around the table include not only politicians, peers and corporate leaders, but also small businesses, training providers, site managers, tradespeople and employers who are trying to create opportunities every single day.

 

Because if Britain is serious about building a better future, we cannot afford to leave a generation sitting on the sidelines. The cost is already too high.  

 

This is where the numbers get really interesting.

 

The £125 billion figure isn’t all benefit payments. It’s the estimated total economic cost of NEETs to the UK economy. That includes:

 

• Welfare payments
• Lost tax revenues
• Lost productivity
• NHS costs
• Social care costs
• Criminal justice costs
• Wider economic impacts

 

So you couldn’t simply take £125 billion from a bank account and spend it on wages.

 

However, let’s play with the numbers.

 

If there are 1 million young people and you divided £125 billion by them:

 

£125,000 per young person per year

 

That’s an astonishing figure.

 

Now compare that with actual employment costs.

 

A young person earning:

 

• £20,000 salary costs an employer roughly £22,000-£24,000 after NI and pension.
• £25,000 salary costs roughly £28,000-£30,000.
• £30,000 salary costs roughly £34,000-£36,000.

 

Therefore:

 

£125 billion could theoretically fund:

 

• Around 5.6 million jobs at £22,000 per year
• Around 4.1 million jobs at £30,000 per year

 

In other words, on paper, the economic cost of NEETs is vastly greater than the cost of employing every one of those million young people.

 

Looking at it another way:

 

If Government offered employers a wage subsidy of £10,000 per year for every NEET they recruited:

 

1,000,000 youngsters × £10,000 = £10 billion

 

If they offered £15,000 per year:

 

1,000,000 youngsters × £15,000 = £15 billion

 

If they offered £20,000 per year:

 

1,000,000 youngsters × £20,000 = £20 billion

 

Even the most generous of those figures is nowhere near £125 billion.

 

Of course, life isn’t that simple.

 

Not every NEET is immediately work-ready.

 

Some need:

 

• Mental health support
• Basic literacy and numeracy support
• Transport assistance
• Work experience
• Addiction support
• Confidence building

 

But this is the argument many employers make:

 

“We don’t need another report. Give us some help with the risk and cost of taking someone on.”

 

Imagine a small builder taking on a 17-year-old apprentice.

 

Government pays:

 

• Training costs
• CSCS card
• PPE
• Tools
• Travel
• A wage contribution

 

Suddenly that apprentice becomes affordable.

 

For construction specifically, a £5-10 billion national employment and apprenticeship programme would be transformative.

 

The real question isn’t whether Britain can afford to invest in young people.

 

It’s whether Britain can afford not to.

 

If a young person spends 30 or 40 years in work instead of on the margins of society, the return to the Treasury through tax, National Insurance and economic activity is enormous.

 

That’s why The Sun’s campaign is gaining traction. Many people look at the numbers and conclude that spending money getting youngsters into work is almost certainly cheaper than paying the long-term economic consequences of them not being there.

 

One thing I’d add from my perspective … after 40 years on site and working with apprentices, I’ve seen hundreds of young people who simply needed someone to give them their first chance. Most didn’t need a government report. They needed a pair of boots, a mentor, a wage packet and somebody who believed in them. That’s often where the real solution starts.