The Milburn review of youth employment is expected to urge the UK government to create and subsidise paid jobs for thousands of disabled young people, as part of what it calls an “opportunity revolution”. The review is due to report this month and aims to address barriers that have kept young people with disabilities out of work and training.
Its recommendations are expected to include “flexi-jobs”, employment subsidies and intensive skills support for disabled and chronically ill people aged 16 to 24. The review will argue that government should underwrite jobs for young people excluded from employment and training, and that work should accommodate fluctuating health conditions, limited experience and the value of starting part-time.
One proposal is a Danish-style flexi-job scheme, under which disabled participants would have guaranteed employment and choose hours suited to their capacity. Some could begin with as little as four hours a week, with the government topping up their wages. The review is also expected to promote “job carving”: dividing the tasks in an entry-level role among several workers. For example, stock-filling, serving at a till and closing a shop could become separate jobs.
About one million young people are classified as not in education, employment or training, or “Neet”. Nearly half are disabled or in ill health, and disabled young people are three times as likely to be Neet as their non-disabled peers. Nearly half of 24-year-old Neets have never worked.
Alan Milburn, the former Labour cabinet minister leading the review, has described rising youth disengagement from work as a moral and economic crisis. He has said that most young people want to work and that employers and government should provide the support and opportunities to make that possible.
The review is also expected to call for more supported internships, work placements, specialist job matching and coaching, as well as help for employers to make workplace adjustments. It will encourage large employers to set voluntary targets for employing disabled 16- to 24-year-olds, but is expected to stop short of proposing statutory quotas.
Milburn has suggested redirecting some of the £4bn the state spends each year on disability benefits for young people towards employment and training support. That approach may face opposition from campaigners and Labour MPs concerned that reducing benefits could push young people into poverty and further from work. The review’s proposals reflect concerns that recruitment practices and inflexible job design create barriers, and that many employers may need government support to offer suitable roles.
Sources: The Guardian Politics.