Douglas Carswell's Blog

What can we do to help NEETs?

I'm starting to be seriously concerned about the number of young people in my constituency who are not in education, employment nor training - so-called NEETs.

It can be immensely frustrating when someone is keen to work, is doing all the right things to find a job - but just can't seem to get anything suitable.   

So why is it so tough?  The overall economic situation must be part of the explaination.

However, I suspect another reason it is more difficult for young people to find work than it once was is because government regulation of the labour market has quite simply reduced the number of jobs available.  Over the years, government has in effect outlawed employment other than on terms decreed by the state.

As a consequence, someone keen to work might find themselves prevented from doing so.  Similarly, small businesses looking to take on an extra pair of hands, might simply decide that they can't afford to.  Jobs that might suit someone starting out in life are made more scarce.

Perhaps readers of this blog might consider their own place of work.  If there weren't quite so many obligations on employers taking on new staff, might your firm have hired more people over the past few years?  Every time the answer is "yes", that's one less NEET.   

How ironic if all those measures introduced to help those with jobs actually make it more difficult for others to find work in the first place.  

Until now discussion about NEETs has tended to focus on what government needs to do to solve things.  Perhaps we might help young people looking for work if government actually began by removing some of the problems it has created?

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