Hardly a day goes by without more bad news on youth unemployment. The latest figures on NEETs (a horrible de-humanising term for school leavers who are not in education, employment or training) show that the numbers rose between 2010 and 2011 to over eight per cent. The release of these statistics coincided with new polling which showed a near-complete collapse of support for the government among young people.
Does this government hate young people? Probably not. Does it belatedly realise it has a massive problem with youth unemployment? Yes it does. The Youth Contract was introduced by Nick Clegg because he and those around him recognised that the Work Programme was not designed to tackle this problem. The reintroduction of job subsidy was a tacit recognition that the abolition of the Future Jobs Fund had perhaps been a little hasty. It is yet to be seen whether giant Welfare to Work prime contractors will be able to deliver it.
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