Careers expert issues unemployment crisis alert - 'we risk a lost generation'

A UK careers expert has warned that the country risks a “lost generation” of young people after fresh ONS data showed the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEETs) at 981,000—just below one million. The remarks come amid job cuts at major firms including BP, Jaguar Land Rover and GSK, alongside stagnant growth in Britain. The expert, McLoughlin, runs a jobs-focused podcast he started with a £40 Amazon microphone during Covid, after leaving No 10 in 2019 following his time as business director under Boris Johnson. He argues barriers to hiring entry-level staff have intensified, citing Labour policy changes including a minimum wage rise, National Insurance increase and Employment Rights Act protections.