Youth Unemployment

Sarah Smith Excerpts

Tuesday 17th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

As the right hon. Member knows, I have great respect for him. I am happy to reach out to upReach to speak about the work to which he refers. As I said a moment ago in response to another question, graduate unemployment is an international issue, not just one for the UK. There has also been an uplift in the United States, which we think of as possibly among the most dynamic economies in the world. Precisely because there is technological change, we need to help young people and support them through it. Policy has to catch up with the discussion taking place among young people themselves, because they are very alive to this issue, and they are evaluating their employment choices in terms of what they think will happen in the labour market and which jobs will be sustainable through this period of significant technological change.

[Sarah Smith (Hyndburn) (Lab)]

Before being elected to this place, I spent many years working for charities seeking to tackle the challenge of youth unemployment. I remember fondly the future jobs fund, which, under the last Labour Government, delivered real change for people across the country. I have established the Get Hyndburn Working group to help tackle the challenge of economic inactivity in my constituency. It would be helpful if the Secretary of State could outline how what he has announced today will support that group in its endeavour to see young and, of course, older people secure good employment. Will he also—as he develops further strategies in this regard—pay particular attention to the importance of place and locally-led decision making, in order to tackle the specific challenges experienced in different parts of the country as we seek to get everyone into a good job?

[Pat McFadden]

I thank my hon. Friend for drawing attention to the record of the last Labour Government. I have described this as a new deal for new times, and it does adapt some of the lessons that we have learnt in the past to today’s very changed labour market. She mentioned the importance of locally-led work. It is true that local labour markets differ, and I want to work closely with local authorities and elected mayors on this agenda, because I think that they all want the best for the young people in their area. The Connect to Work budget, for example, is devolved for the next few years, with considerable flexibility for local leaders in relation to how they use the funding.