Almost 80,000 young people aged 16 to 24 in the West Midlands are currently not in employment, education, or training (Neets). This figure stands at 79,840 across the region.
Birmingham constituencies account for six of the top 10 in the country for young people claiming unemployment benefits. Mazeedah Adekitan, 17, from Dudley, who finished college earlier this year, has struggled to find a job despite applying daily, often receiving automated rejections for entry-level positions.
Political parties have put forward various proposals to tackle youth unemployment. Reform UK has promised to subsidise the wages of young apprentices in small and medium-sized firms. The Liberal Democrats aim to end the lower minimum wage for apprentices and establish a fairer code of conduct for employers.
Labour plans to expand its existing jobs guarantee programme, which offers long-term unemployed young people a fully funded six-month job placement. The Green Party has proposed two-year government-backed jobs for 18 to 24-year-olds, starting in areas with fewer opportunities.
This week, the Conservatives proposed toughening support for long-term claimants and halving national insurance for businesses hiring people in their early 20s. Nigel Huddleston, Conservative MP for Droitwich and Evesham, attributed unemployment to Labour Party policies, citing increases in national insurance and business rates. Mary Creagh, Labour MP for Coventry East, stated that youth unemployment rose from 720,000 in 2022 to over a million in the two years before the general election.
Liam Peers, 21, from Hodge Hill, who has been unemployed for almost two years, believes that information about work programmes needs to be better publicised.