Labour Party Conference 2025: Tackling Youth Unemployment Must Be a Priority

This year’s Labour Party Conference made one message crystal clear: investing in young people’s futures is a central ambition for this government. From new policy announcements to panel discussions, the focus on youth unemployment was striking.

Currently, 1 in 8 young people are NEET (not in education, employment or training). For care-experienced young people, this rises to three times the national average – with 39% of 19–21-year-olds being out of work and education. At the Labour Conference, we heard repeatedly about the urgent need to address these inequalities and work together to ensure no young person is left without opportunity.

Key announcements and government priorities

Several commitments were highlighted across the week, including the Youth Guarantee (a job or training place for all 18–21 year olds), the expansion of Youth Hubs announced last week, and the role of Young Futures Hubs, Skills England, the Industrial Strategy, Trailblazer pilots and the forthcoming National Youth Strategy. The cross-governmental commitment is clear, the priority going forward needs to be around how the different programmes and strategies work together to ensure young people have the opportunities they deserve, and employers have a skilled workforce to propel into careers.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ announcement for all 18–21-year-old people to be guaranteed a job or training placement if they’ve been NEET for 18 months, was seen by some as positive — but concerns remain about whether DWP will remove benefits if young people reject offers of work or training. This highlights a central theme of the conference: support must be prioritised over compliance if we are to prioritise building careers over short term job outcomes.

Voices from our Policy Forum

Our Policy Forum members played an active role in shaping these conversations:

Daisy spoke on a panel exploring the intersection of youth unemployment and mental health, highlighting the systemic barriers faced by care-experienced young people. She emphasised how stability — such as safe housing — and mental wellbeing are crucial foundations for accessing employment opportunities.

It was a pleasure to be invited to the conference. I was especially pleased to see such a renewed focus on young people and improving young people’s outcomes – the fact that care experience featured so heavily across panels and discussions across the conference is a testament to the growing recognition of our work on the Policy Forum, and the need for change. I left the conference feeling energised and ready to continue working towards influencing policy change for care-experienced young people.

Ikra, alongside Youth Futures Foundation CEO, Barry Fletcher, interviewed Children and Families Minister Josh MacAlister. Their conversation centred on priorities for care-experienced young people, sector reform, and ending the postcode lottery of services.

It was a refreshing perspective I think most people I spoke to didn’t know about Drive Forward or what they did, and it feels like we were able to spread some awareness and get loads of goodies at the same time!

Common themes across the conference

Throughout the week, recurring themes emerged from policymakers, charities, and sector leaders:

• Relationships matter. Trusted adults and long-term relationships are essential to supporting marginalised young people into work.
• Wraparound support is vital. Pre-employment programmes and mental health provision must go hand-in-hand with skills development.
• Quality work is non-negotiable. Young people need sustainable, good quality jobs, with apprenticeships providing a first step onto the career ladder.
• Skills shortages must be tackled. Aligning youth employment strategies with the government’s industrial strategy and its eight high-growth sectors could provide a pathway to long-term unemployment reduction.

Looking ahead

The message from Liverpool was unanimous: it’s time for urgent, collective action to tackle youth unemployment and ensure care-experienced young people are not left behind.

We believe in the potential of care-experienced young people. We’ve seen it every day for 15 years. What’s needed now is a system that recognises, supports, and champions that potential – from care to career.

If you’re ready to be part of that change, we’re ready to work with you.