Unemployment crisis: Tesco, John Lewis and more to offer 100,000 jobs to young NEETs under Labour scheme

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Multiple retailers are stepping up to address Britain's growing youth unemployment crisis

Some 40 of Britain's largest retailers, among them Tesco, John Lewis, Curry's and Costa Coffee, have committed to providing more than 11,000 work experience placements for young people claiming Universal Credit.

The initiative, branded "Opening Shift", has been jointly organised by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) as part of the Government's drive to reduce youth unemployment.

The scheme is specifically aimed at young people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs).

Placements will be offered directly to eligible Universal Credit recipients through the programme, which hopes to create 100,000 roles.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden unveiled the plans during a visit to the John Lewis store on Oxford Street in central London.

Each placement will last between two and four weeks, giving participants hands-on experience in the retail sector. Participation is entirely voluntary, and those taking part will retain their Universal Credit entitlement throughout.

Crucially, every young person who completes a placement will be guaranteed a job interview with their host retailer. Businesses have pledged to hire as many participants as they can through this route.

The structure is designed to break what BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson described as a "no experience, no job doom loop" that leaves young people unable to secure their first role.

Around 60 per cent of NEETs have never held a job, according to Mr McFadden, making even a short stint of structured work experience a potentially transformative step towards lasting employment.

Between April and June 2026, an estimated 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were classified as NEETs.

Although this represented a modest decline from the more than one million recorded in the first three months of the year, the figure still stands 30,000 above 2025 levels.

Mr McFadden said: "They are quite often caught in a bind of no experience, no job. About 60% of Neets have never had a job and this cuts through that."

He added: "Once they get that experience, the chances of getting hired in a long-term paid job go up hugely, every senior manager of a business tells you that."

Ms Dickinson said: "Retail is coming to the rescue for tens of thousands of young people struggling to take their first step on the career ladder."

To drive this effort, ministers have enlisted former Blair-era cabinet minister Alan Milburn to develop recommendations for tackling youth unemployment, while ex-M&S chairman Marc Bolland has been brought in to forge partnerships with the private sector.

Mr Bolland, who was instrumental in assembling the BRC work experience programme, said the announcement created "thousands more opportunities for young people to build a future in one of Britain's biggest industries".