Former M&S chief appointed to tackle UK youth unemployment crisis
Marc Bolland has been named a government jobs adviser as ministers respond to warnings that UK youth unemployment could worsen.
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The UK has appointed former Marks & Spencer chief Marc Bolland to help tackle rising youth unemployment, after a report warned the country could face a larger pool of young people out of work or education without urgent action.
The UK has picked a former shop boss, Marc Bolland, to help find more jobs for young people who are not learning or working. The government thinks business leaders can help make better paths into work.
A report says a lot of young people could be left behind if nothing changes. Some are struggling with health problems, and that can make finding work much harder, like trying to run a race with a heavy backpack.
The idea is to connect schools, charities, and companies so more young people can get training and jobs. The government says this is important now because the problem is already big and could get even bigger.
Analysis
What changed
The UK government has appointed Marc Bolland, the former chief executive of Marks & Spencer and Morrisons, as lead non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions. Downing Street said he will help convene a summit of business leaders and advise work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden on the response to the youth unemployment problem.
Why now
The appointment follows an interim report by former health secretary Alan Milburn, which warned that the number of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training, known as Neets, could rise to 1.25 million by the 2030s without radical intervention. The report said about 1 million young people in that age group are already in that category, roughly one in eight.
What Bolland is expected to do
According to the government, Bolland’s existing work with the charity Movement to Work helped more than 200,000 unemployed young people find jobs. His role will include working with major employers to create clearer paths into work, and helping charities that support disabled young people gain access to training and jobs.
The article says the challenge is especially acute because a growing number of young people are being judged unfit for work because of health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and some neurodevelopmental conditions. Milburn’s report also argued that Britain’s Neets rate is higher than in some other developed countries, citing the Netherlands as a comparison. It estimated the economic cost of the crisis at about £125bn.
The government is presenting Bolland’s appointment as a practical signal that it wants business, charities, and the state to work together on a problem that has become both an employment issue and a health issue.
Key points
- Former Marks & Spencer chief Marc Bolland has been appointed as a lead non-executive director at the Department for Work and Pensions.
- His role will include helping the government respond to warnings about rising youth unemployment and advising Pat McFadden.
- An interim report by Alan Milburn said about 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK are not in education, employment, or training.
- The report warned the number of Neets could rise to 1.25 million by the 2030s without radical action.
- The article says disabled or depressed young people will be a focus of Bolland’s work, alongside business-led routes into jobs.
