Chief executives of more than 80 retailers have told the Prime Minister that government policies are making it harder to hire young people.
In a letter to Downing Street, they have highlighted taxes and red tape for pushing up the cost of entry-level jobs, noting that retail and its supply chain account for almost a quarter of all youth employment.
Signatories include Thierry Garnier (Kingfisher), Stuart Machin (M&S), Patrick Birkbeck (The House of Bruar), Colin Temple (Schuh), Karen Scott (Scotmid), and Pete Cheema (Scottish Grocers’ Federation).
They say businesses face a “cataclysm of rising National Insurance contributions, years of above-inflation increases to the National Living Wage, and changes to employment rights – policies which need to be revisited if Government really wants to shift the dial on youth unemployment.”
The BRC’s intervention comes as former Labour minister Alan Milburn’s interim report into young people and work warned that 1.25 million under-25s could become unemployed in the next five years.
Hundreds of thousands of young people secure their first job in retail. However, 400,000 retail jobs have been lost over the past decade, stifling this route into the workforce.
The BRC says it is willing to work with government to find solutions to the problem, but ultimately it is highlighting the need to reverse or reduce the impact of the tax and wage rises introduced by the Chancellor.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “The message from retail is clear: if government is serious about tackling youth unemployment, it cannot keep making it more expensive to create jobs.
“Retail and its supply chain account for almost a quarter of all youth employment, making our industry uniquely placed to support young people through flexible, entry-level roles and clear routes for progression. But this first step on the ladder is cracking under the weight of government-imposed costs and regulations.
“Youth unemployment is a challenge that government and business must tackle together. If government wants more young people in work, it must create the conditions that allow businesses to hire, train and develop the next generation.
“Retailers stand ready to work in partnership with government through a joint retail-government taskforce to strengthen routes into employment, remove barriers to hiring and help more young people take that crucial first step into the world of work.”
Signatories:
Giles Hurley (Aldi), Peter Wood (AllSaints), John Boumphrey (Amazon UK), Maria Hollins (Ann Summers), James Goodman (Asda), Sue Kemp (Associated Independent Stores), Tjeerd Jegen (B&M Retail), Graham Bell (B&Q), James Barker (Barker and Stonehouse), Nick Collard (Bensons for Beds), Alasdair Murdoch (Burger King UK), Meryl Halls (Booksellers Association), Nigel Murray (Booths), Anthony Hemmerdinger (Boots UK), Charmaine Griffiths (British Heart Foundation), Helen Dickinson (British Retail Consortium), Darcy Willson-Rymer (Card Factory), Jon Lake (Chopstix Group), Chris Burns (Company Shop Group), Alex Baldock (Currys), David Robinson (Dobbies Garden Centres), Nicola Frampton (Domino’s Pizza UK), Ije Nwokorie (Dr Martens), Nigel Darwin (Dune Group), Clodagh Moriarty (Dunelm Group), Hetal Patel (Federation of Independent Retailers), Paul Hinds (F. Hinds), Mia Fenwick (Fenwick), Ed Duggan (Fishpools), Tom Athron (Fortnum & Mason), Noel Coyle (Fraser Hart), Anna Steer (Freemans Grattan Holdings), Roisin Currie (Greggs), Doug Putman (HMV), Fran Barnes (Horticultural Trade Association), Tarsem Dhaliwal (Iceland Foods), Mostafa El Garaa (IKEA UK and Ireland), Regis Schultz (JD Sports), Jason Tarry (John Lewis Partnership), Mark Wright (JoJo Maman Bébé), Rob Swain (UK&I KFC), Thierry Garnier (Kingfisher), Guy Meakin (Krispy Kreme UK), Ian Williams (Lakeland), Ryan McDonnell (Lidl GB), Alison Hands (Lincolnshire Co-op), Sarah Ashby (Mamas & Papas), Mike Tomkins (MandM Direct), Stuart Machin (M&S), Henrik Nordvall (Matalan), Lauren Schultz (McDonald’s Restaurants), Nick Stowe (Monsoon Accessorize), Rami Baitiéh (Morrisons), Mark Neale (Mountain Warehouse), Anthony Short (Music Industries Association), Hannah Gibson (Ocado Retail), Oliver Tress (Oliver Bonas), Paula MacKenzie (Pizza Express), Kari Rodgers (Primark), Christos Angelides (Reiss), Kypros Kyprianou (Ryman, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue, London Graphic Centre (part of the Theo Paphitis Retail Group)), Simon Roberts (Sainsbury’s), Colin Temple (Schuh), Karen Scott (Scotmid), Dr Pete Cheema OBE (Scottish Grocers’ Federation), John Mewett (Screwfix), Paul Hayes (Seasalt), Steve Reid (Simba Sleep), Ben Stimson (Southern Co-op), Andy Lightfoot (Space NK), Michael Fletcher (Spar UK), Carina Hummel (Specsavers Optical Superstores), Martin Wildsmith (Sue Ryder), Tobin James (Tempur UK), Ashwin Prasad (Tesco), Justin Hampshire (TFG Brands), Avril O’Sullivan (The Body Shop), Kate Allum (The Co-op Group), Gemma Sault (The Giftware Association), Patrick Birkbeck (The House of Bruar), Robbie Feather (The Very Group), Gavin Peck (The Works Stores), Lakhir Sanghera (Toolstation), Tracey Verghese (White Stuff), David Wood (Wickes)
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