Real jobs
Yesterday, Chris Grayling, the Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, gave a speech on the failings of our welfare system. He argued that benefits should be a safety net rather then a way of life. I for one agree with him. Our welfare expenditure has spiralled.
In Suffolk, benefits are doing very little to help young people get into real and lasting jobs. Last week it was revealed that the Government’s flagship job scheme, the New Deal for Young People (NDYP) has failed to get many young unemployed people in Suffolk into sustained work.
Since its formation, more than 9,350 young people in Suffolk have took up NDYP. Statistics show that 41% of New Deal for Young People (NDYP) participants in Suffolk return to receive jobseekers allowance after leaving NDYP within one year, while 25% have returned immediately.
It is such a shame for the young people of Suffolk, that the Government’s efforts to keep people off welfare have failed so badly and has in fact become a revolving door back into it. The Government has now spent £1.9 billion of taxpayers money on the New Deal for Young People which would be fully justified if people were coming off unemployment benefits and back in to work but this is just not happening.
There is now an estimated 1,780 16-18 year olds not in education, training or employment in Suffolk. Incredibly, there are now 7.97 million people of working age not in employment today, and the number of those aged 16-24 not in education, employment or training has risen by almost a fifth under Labour and stands at 1.26 million.
Throwing money at a problem, as with the New Deal, simply does not effectively work. The Government must urgently accept that a new approach is needed in tackling this growing problem.