JOBLESS youngsters face having benefits stopped if they do not take up a new government offer of paid work.
Rachel Reeves wants to cut the welfare bill with a Youth Guarantee scheme to stop them going onto a life on the dole.
Every young adult who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning will be given a paid work placement.
The Chancellor will also outline how youths will get a guarantee of either a place in a college or an apprenticeship to learn a trade.
The plans are expected to apply to 18 to 21-year-olds.
But concerns are likely to be raised as the unemployment rate hit a four-year high over the summer and the national insurance rise is blamed for a slowdown in the jobs market.
Ms Reeves will say in her conference speech today: “I will never be satisfied while too many people’s potential is wasted, frozen out of employment, education, or training.
“There’s no defending it. It’s bad for business, bad for taxpayers, bad for our economy, and it scars people’s prospects throughout their lives.”
Nearly one million youngsters aged 16-24 are Neets — not in education, employment or training.
This accounts for 12 per cent of the age group, having risen by almost a third in the past four years.
Full details of the scheme are set to be outlined in the Budget at the end of November.
Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride last night attacked the Government — accusing them of making it more expensive to employ people.
He said: “You don’t get more young people into work by punishing the very businesses that hire them.
“The answer isn’t more taxpayer-funded schemes — it’s growth, lower taxes, and a pro-jobs economy.”
Jobless youngsters face having benefits stopped if they do not take up a new government offer of paid work[/caption]
