Businesses urge Government to bring down costs of employing young people

A letter backed by more than 80 of Britain’s biggest retail leaders has urged the Government to take urgent action to tackle youth unemployment.

Signatories of the joint letter, co-ordinated by the British Retail Consortium (BRC), include Specsavers, Boots UK, and Asda.

The letter follows the publication of Alan Milburn’s interim report into young people and work, which has warned that the rate of people aged under 25 not in employment, education or training could increase to more than 1.25 million within five years.

The BRC has highlighted that retail is the UK’s most important entry point into work, accounting for almost a quarter of all youth employment.

However, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: “This first step on the ladder is cracking under the weight of Government-imposed costs and regulations.”

Businesses face a “cataclysm” of rising National Insurance contributions alongside above-inflation increases to the National Living Wage, and changes to employment rights.

The letter calls on the Government to bring down the cost of employing young people and implement employment skills and reforms in a way that would support entry-level recruitment and progression.

The letter also encourages the establishment of a joint government-retail taskforce to simplify and enhance routes into employment for young people.

Employers like us need Government to create the conditions that allow us to reach young people and build the pipeline of talent that our businesses, and our patients, depend on

Carina Hummel, UK managing director for optics at Specsavers, is among the signatories, and said: “At Specsavers we’ve seen firsthand how retail and healthcare businesses like ours can be a genuine launchpad for young people – not just a first job, but the start of a genuine career.”

Specsavers offers early career opportunities for more than 1200 graduates a year, including 700 pre-registration trainees.

The company also provides 500 to 600 apprenticeships a year across clinical and support roles.

Hummel said: “Around 90% of those apprentices go on to permanent roles with us. This isn’t about filling vacancies; it’s about developing the next generation of talent to help strengthen our ability to deliver high-quality community eye and hearing care to our patients for years to come.”

Specsavers also recently launched its first audiology graduate programme for newly-qualified audiologists and hearing aid dispensers.

Hummel shared: “Ambition alone won’t solve the entry-level jobs crisis. Employers like us need Government to create the conditions that allow us to reach young people and build the pipeline of talent that our businesses, and our patients, depend on.”

We believe that investing in young people doesn’t just build skills – it builds ambition, belief, and long-term careers

Kyla Black, director of optical practice at Boots Opticians, told OT: “At Boots Opticians, we believe a first job should be the platform to build a meaningful, long-term career.”

She continued: “Retail healthcare provides young people with a unique chance to develop important life skills, build confidence and explore career paths they may never have considered. Whether someone joins us in a customer-facing role or with ambitions to move into a clinical profession, we see every starting point as equally important.”

The Boots Opticians early career programmes and apprenticeships have been designed to provide young people with practical experience and structured development.

Black explained: “From optical consultants to dispensing opticians and optometrists, we provide individuals with the platform to build skills and progress in a way that works best for them,” she said.

Black emphasised that career development is not limited to one pathway, adding that supporting people at every stage creates an environment of growth.

“We believe that investing in young people doesn’t just build skills – it builds ambition, belief, and long-term careers. And in doing so, we strengthen our ability to deliver trusted, high-quality care to the communities we serve,” she added.