F.Hinds and Fraser Hart join call for action on youth unemployment

Senior leaders from F. Hinds and Fraser Hart have joined more than 80 British retailers in calling for urgent action on youth unemployment.

They have told the Prime Minister that government policies have made it harder for them to hire young people.

Brought together in a letter by the British Retail Consortium, its CEO Helen Dickinson warned that retailers are being priced out of hiring young people and put it down to government taxes and red tape pushing up the cost of entry-level jobs

As part of the letter co-ordinated by the BRC, business leaders have warned that government must take urgent action to tackle the crisis to “turn around the fortunes of young people everywhere.”

The intervention comes as senior minister Alan Milburn’s interim report into young people and work highlighted the scale of the challenge, warning that 1.25 million under-25s could become unemployed in the next five years.

Part of the problem here is businesses facing a cataclysm of rising National Insurance contributions, years of above-inflation increases to the National Living Wage, and changes to employment rights.

As part of a release to media which shared details on the letter, the BRC explained how retail is the UK’s most important entry point into work, accounting for almost a quarter of all youth employment.

Hundreds of thousands of young people secure their first job through the flexible, local, and seasonal opportunities that the industry provides. However, more than 400,000 retail jobs have already been lost over the past decade, meaning vital routes into employment could be at risk.

The letter calls on the government to do the following:

1) Establish a joint government-retail taskforce to simplify and enhance routes into employment for young people.
2) Bring down the cost of employing young people to help businesses create more jobs.
3) Implement employment and skills reforms in a way that supports entry-level recruitment and progression.

Commenting on the situation, Helen Dickinson, explained: “The message from retail is clear: if government is serious about tackling youth unemployment, it cannot keep making it more expensive to create jobs.

“Retail and its supply chain account for almost a quarter of all youth employment, making our industry uniquely placed to support young people through flexible, entry-level roles and clear routes for progression. But this first step on the ladder is cracking under the weight of government-imposed costs and regulations.”

Adding: “Youth unemployment is a challenge that government and business must tackle together. If government wants more young people in work, it must create the conditions that allow businesses to hire, train and develop the next generation. Retailers stand ready to work in partnership with government through a joint retail-government taskforce to strengthen routes into employment, remove barriers to hiring and help more young people take that crucial first step into the world of work.”

You can read the letter in full HERE.

The full list of signatories is as follows:

Giles Hurley (Aldi), Peter Wood (AllSaints), John Boumphrey (Amazon UK), Maria Hollins (Ann Summers), James Goodman (Asda), Sue Kemp (Associated Independent Stores), Tjeerd Jegen (B&M Retail), Graham Bell (B&Q), James Barker (Barker and Stonehouse), Nick Collard (Bensons for Beds), Alasdair Murdoch (Burger King UK), Meryl Halls (Booksellers Association), Nigel Murray (Booths), Anthony Hemmerdinger (Boots UK), Charmaine Griffiths (British Heart Foundation), Helen Dickinson (British Retail Consortium), Darcy Willson-Rymer (Card Factory), Jon Lake (Chopstix Group), Chris Burns (Company Shop Group), Alex Baldock (Currys), David Robinson (Dobbies Garden Centres), Nicola Frampton (Domino’s Pizza UK), Ije Nwokorie (Dr Martens), Nigel Darwin (Dune Group), Clodagh Moriarty (Dunelm Group), Hetal Patel (Federation of Independent Retailers), Paul Hinds (F. Hinds), Mia Fenwick (Fenwick), Ed Duggan (Fishpools), Tom Athron (Fortnum & Mason), Noel Coyle (Fraser Hart), Anna Steer (Freemans Grattan Holdings), Roisin Currie (Greggs), Svante Andersson (Haypp Group), Doug Putman (HMV), Fran Barnes (Horticultural Trade Association), Tarsem Dhaliwal (Iceland Foods), Mostafa El Garaa (IKEA UK and Ireland), Regis Schultz (JD Sports), Jason Tarry (John Lewis Partnership), Mark Wright (JoJo Maman Bébé), Rob Swain (UK&I KFC), Thierry Garnier (Kingfisher), Guy Meakin (Krispy Kreme UK), Ian Williams (Lakeland), Ryan McDonnell (Lidl GB), Alison Hands (Lincolnshire Co-op), Sarah Ashby (Mamas & Papas), Mike Tomkins (MandM Direct), Stuart Machin (M&S), Henrik Nordvall (Matalan), Lauren Schultz (McDonald’s Restaurants), Nick Stowe (Monsoon Accessorize), Rami Baitiéh (Morrisons), Mark Neale (Mountain Warehouse), Anthony Short (Music Industries Association), Hannah Gibson (Ocado Retail), Oliver Tress (Oliver Bonas), Paula MacKenzie (Pizza Express), Kari Rodgers (Primark), Christos Angelides (Reiss), Kypros Kyprianou (Ryman, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue, London Graphic Centre (part of the Theo Paphitis Retail Group)), Simon Roberts (Sainsbury’s), Colin Temple (Schuh), Karen Scott (Scotmid), Dr Pete Cheema OBE (Scottish Grocers’ Federation), John Mewett (Screwfix), Paul Hayes (Seasalt), Steve Reid (Simba Sleep), Ben Stimson (Southern Co-op), Andy Lightfoot (Space NK), Michael Fletcher (Spar UK), Carina Hummel (Specsavers Optical Superstores), Martin Wildsmith (Sue Ryder), Tobin James (Tempur UK), Ashwin Prasad (Tesco), Justin Hampshire (TFG Brands), Avril O’Sullivan (The Body Shop), Kate Allum (The Co-op Group), Gemma Sault (The Giftware Association), Patrick Birkbeck (The House of Bruar), Robbie Feather (The Very Group), Gavin Peck (The Works Stores), Lakhir Sanghera (Toolstation), Tracey Verghese (White Stuff), David Wood (Wickes)