Labour accused of ‘creating jobless generation’ as youth unemployment soars

Youth unemployment has jumped to an 11-year high after Labour increased the cost of hiring staff.

The Tories accused the Government of “creating a jobless generation” as official data showed 16.1pc of 16 to 24-year-olds seeking work have not yet found a job.

The figure is firmly above the Covid lockdown peak of 15.3pc seen in the summer of 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Overall, unemployment rose to 5.2pc in the three months to December, its highest level in nearly five years.

Meanwhile, job vacancies fell by 73,000 between November and January compared to the same period last year.

That has left competition for new roles at its highest since January 2015, excluding the pandemic, with 2.6 unemployed people per vacancy in the three months to December.

Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, accused Labour of “creating a jobless generation” with its policies.

He said: “These figures show the impact of a ‘zombie government’ with no plan for growth.

“Labour’s jobs tax, economic uncertainty and their red tape Employment Rights Bill are holding back hiring, creating a jobless generation.”

Business leaders also said the Government was to blame for rising joblessness as policies undermine hiring.

Alex Hall-Chen at the Institute of Directors said: “The best way to boost employment is to make it less risky and less costly for businesses to hire staff.

“Every major employment reform over the past year and a half – the Employment Rights Act (ERA), above-inflation increases to the National Living Wage, and the employer’s National Insurance hike – has had the opposite effect.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]