4 days ago
Jobs deserts are holding back Britain, warns employment minister
Job deserts and high rates of long-term sickness are holding back towns and cities across the UK, the employment minister has warned.
Alison McGovern, a minister in the Department for Work and Pensions, said surging levels of economic inactivity in some pockets of the country had left people 'on the scrap heap' and was damaging local regions.
Her warning came as the Government unveiled fresh plans to boost revive recruitment levels at branches of Jobcentre Plus. Figures show just 9pc of businesses use them to hire workers.
She said: 'We've got too many people who've essentially been put on the scrap heap and that's bad for them individually … but it's also bad for those places in our country where there are high concentrations of people in that position because that town and that city is also held back.'
The UK's rate of economic inactivity stands at 21pc, according Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures.
In some areas of the country, over half of working age adults are out of work and not seeking employment.
Part of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham has the highest rate of economic inactivity in the UK, with 67pc of all working-age adults economically inactive, according to the 2021 census.
There are also worries about the number of people who have left the workforce since the pandemic due to long-term sickness. Ms McGovern added that the UK's rate of economic inactivity 'comes from the health of the country'.
Research carried out by The Telegraph has found that Knowsley in Merseyside has the highest proportion of working age people receiving statements of fitness for work at 31.4pc.
As the country grapples with high levels of economic inactivity, the Government is rolling out a scheme to encourage Britain's largest employers to recruit staff through job centres.
In a letter to more than 8,000 of Britain's largest businesses, the Department for Work & Pensions said it was investing in staff to offer 'comprehensive recruitment support' for companies.
As part of the Government's plan, job centres are also running pre-employment training programs in partnership with businesses.
KFC is among the businesses with whom the Government has partnered, with the fast food chain offering young people paid work experience with the aim of helping them get their first full-time job.
Shaffra Gray-Read, from KFC, said its scheme was about 'giving young people a fair shot at a first job' because 'so many young people are locked out of opportunity.'
The most recent figures from the ONS show there were 923,000 young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training between January to March 2025.
