NEWS

Milburn review ‘must be a wakeup call'

Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work diagnostic report must act as a ‘wakeup call’ for the UK government, warns the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

The report argues that the UK faces a ‘generational fault line’ in the transition from education into work.

It sets out a comprehensive diagnosis of how systems designed to support young people — education, health, welfare and the labour market — are failing to work together.

The report makes clear that this is not a temporary problem. The NEET rate (not in education, employment or training) has remained persistently high for decades and is becoming more structural.

Today’s challenge is not just youth unemployment, but long-term detachment from the labour market, with many young people not seeking work at all.

Importantly, the Review rejects the idea that young people lack motivation, or employers don’t want to hire young people. Instead, it finds that systems have failed to adapt to a generation facing new pressures, from mental ill-health to a changing labour market.

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the BCC said:

‘The Milburn report must be a wakeup call for policymakers about the crisis of young people not in employment, education and training.

‘Unless urgent comprehensive action is taken a whole generation is at risk of being cut loose from society, and economic growth will be hampered.

‘The report accurately diagnoses the problem, with suggested solutions to come later in the year. The issues identified in the Milburn Review have long been reported by businesses. It is important that government urgently takes steps to address these.’

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11/06/2026