A shortage of soft skills, work readiness and resilience among young people risks fuelling Britain’s youth unemployment crisis, business leaders have warned.

Almost one million people aged 16 to 24 are classed as Neet, meaning not in education, employment or training, and ministers are particularly concerned about the number of young men out of work: 54 per cent of Neets are male.

The warnings emerged from research for the review of the Neet epidemic being led by the former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, which is due to be published in the autumn. As part of that work, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) asked business leaders what barriers they faced when hiring young people.

The biggest challenge, cited by 41 per cent of employers in the survey of 500 businesses, was young adults’ level of “soft skills or work readiness”. The National Careers Service lists communication, decision-making, organisation and adaptability among the soft skills typically gained through schooling, work and life experience.

Bosses’ next biggest concern was work experience, cited by 40 per cent, while 32 per cent said resilience was a concern and 31 per cent worried about technical skills.

The findings land against a worsening statistical backdrop. Figures published by the Office for National Statistics last week showed an estimated 981,000 people were classed as Neet in the three months to June, a year on year increase of 30,000, of which men and boys accounted for 25,000. The total has now hovered close to the one million mark for months, a level last seen in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

Milburn has called the Neet statistics a “scar on this country”. His final report, due in October, will include recommendations for bringing the numbers down, and research for his interim report, published in May, found that 84 per cent of Neets want to be learning or working. The government has already appointed the former Marks & Spencer chief Marc Bolland to rally employers behind a push to get young people into work.

Separate research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found that 37 per cent of employers had faced difficulties recruiting in the last year because applicants lacked relevant soft skills.

Tina McKenzie, the national chair of the FSB, said: “That’s why it is important not only to expand access to work experience and placements, but also to lay the foundations for employment success within the curriculum itself.

“Improving financial and enterprise education in schools, alongside the development of essential soft skills, will help equip students with the knowledge and confidence they need. When young people arrive in the workplace with a basic understanding of how working life, pay, and enterprise operate, they are much better prepared.”

Teachers share the concern. In a separate survey of more than 1,000 education professionals for Milburn’s review, 66 per cent said they believed young people’s preparedness for work had declined over the past five years, while 60 per cent reported a decline in soft skills over the same period. Nearly three quarters said there was too much focus on passing exams and that the curriculum should be broadened to include more work-related skills “without lowering academic standards”.

The review is not expected to lay the blame on schools alone. A source close to Milburn said: “While schools have to do more to focus on work readiness, employers have responsibility too, not least in expanding opportunities for youngsters.” Some large employers have begun to move, with McDonald’s launching 2,500 paid work experience placements aimed at young people facing barriers to employment.

Young people themselves report feeling underprepared. DWP research found that 47 per cent of those aged 18 to 24, and just 36 per cent of Neets, agreed that they felt ready for work when they left education. Less than half said their school or college sufficiently supported them to develop the skills they need for the future.

Ben Harrison, the director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, said: “Young people need the right support at school and as they move into employment to build confidence, workplace skills and resilience, alongside access to health support where they need it.

“Employers have an important role to play too. We have heard from young people about recruitment processes that feel increasingly difficult to navigate, including the use of AI, repeated applications with little or no feedback, and expectations that candidates already have significant experience before they have had a chance to get a foot in the door.

“At a time when entry-level opportunities are already in short supply, these practices risk compounding the barriers young people face and making an already difficult transition into work even harder.”

Amy Ingham

Amy Ingham is a reporter at Business Matters, covering UK business news with a focus on breaking news, business policy, late payments and insolvency. She joined the magazine in 2026 after completing the NCTJ Diploma in Journalism at Harlow College’s journalism school. Her recent reporting includes British Steel’s nationalisation and its impact on SME suppliers, the decline in late payments by large firms, and Insolvency Service director disqualifications. Reach her at aingham@cbmeg.co.uk.

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LAS VEGAS — A jury convicted Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder Monday in the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, delivering the first conviction in a case that had remained unsolved for nearly three decades and closing the door on a crime that has haunted the hip-hop world since Shakur’s death at age 25.

Jurors deliberated for just under three hours before returning the verdict, following two weeks of testimony and closing arguments delivered Monday in Clark County District Court in Las Vegas. Davis, 63, is the only person ever charged in Shakur’s death, and prosecutors accused him of orchestrating the drive-by shooting that killed the rapper on Sept. 7, 1996, near the Las Vegas Strip.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors during closing arguments that Davis and his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson, “went hunting” for Shakur after Anderson was involved in a physical altercation with Shakur and his entourage at the MGM Grand following a Mike Tyson boxing match earlier that night. Palal argued that Davis led the plot in his capacity as a “shot caller” within the South Side Compton Crips, and that his statements about the shooting over the years were ultimately driven by self-interest. Prosecutors presented jurors with a chart comparing four different versions of events Davis had given at various points since the killing, and argued that Davis’ own 2019 memoir, which detailed the shooting, should be treated as an admission despite listing a cowriter.

Defense attorney Michael Sanft pushed back on that characterization during his closing argument, telling jurors that Davis’ account in the memoir amounted to “fiction” rather than a factual confession. Sanft argued that the evidence connecting Davis to the crime remained incomplete, pointing specifically to the absence of documentation placing Davis in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting.

Judge Carli Kierny is scheduled to sentence Davis on Oct. 13, and he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder conviction. Prosecutors had considered pursuing an additional gang enhancement to the charge but ultimately decided against it, with Palal telling the court the decision was based on “witness logistics.”

Shakur’s family, who maintained a consistent presence throughout the trial, reacted emotionally as the verdict was read. The rapper’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, was seen wiping away tears, while his stepbrother, Mopreme Shakur, raised his fist in the air as loved ones embraced outside the courtroom.

The verdict arrives roughly two weeks before Shakur’s family will mark the 29th anniversary of his death on Sept. 13. Shakur died at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, located less than two miles from the courthouse where Davis stood trial, after being shot multiple times while riding in a car with Death Row Records founder Suge Knight following the Tyson fight.

Darryl Harper, a former Death Row Records producer who worked closely with Shakur and traveled from Georgia to attend the trial, described the conviction as offering a measure of long-awaited closure. “I certainly felt cheated but I’m sure a lot of the world felt cheated,” Harper said outside the courtroom following the verdict, describing the sense of injustice that “just never went away” over the decades since Shakur’s death. Harper also praised the prosecution’s closing argument, in which Palal suggested Davis had wanted to “beat” the jury just as he claimed to have beaten other obstacles throughout his life, calling the framing “brilliant” and noting that the message appeared to resonate with jurors.

CNN anchor Laura Coates, who was a college applicant at the time of Shakur’s death in 1996, reflected on the broader cultural significance of Monday’s outcome. Coates recalled hearing news of Shakur’s death spread through a bookstore three decades ago, describing a “profound sadness” that swept over people of all ages as they processed what she called the loss of “such a powerful and strong, and many would say deeply honest voice among hip-hop.” She noted it had taken nearly 30 years to reach “some semblance of justice” in the case.

Davis, a former gang leader and self-described key figure in the rivalry between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop factions during the mid-1990s, was arrested in September 2023 after prosecutors said new evidence, including admissions Davis made in his own memoir and subsequent media interviews, provided sufficient grounds to bring charges more than 27 years after the killing. Monday’s conviction marks the definitive legal resolution of a case that has generated widespread public fascination and speculation since Shakur’s death first shocked the music industry in 1996.

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia under 18 superannuation law exemptions are leaving more than half a million teenage workers shortchanged by hundreds of millions of dollars annually, according to comprehensive economic modelling released by the Super Members Council.

Under current national Superannuation Guarantee provisions, employers are only required to make compulsory retirement contributions for workers under the age of 18 if they complete more than 30 hours of labor in a single week for a single employer. Industry experts and consumer advocacy groups argue that the provision represents an outdated exemption that severely undermines the long-term financial security of young Australians entering the workforce.

The latest financial analysis indicates that roughly 530,000 teenage employees will miss out on a collective 411 million dollars in superannuation contributions across the current financial year alone. Because 91 percent of under-18 workers are employed part-time or casually for fewer than 30 hours per week, the vast majority are completely excluded from receiving standard employer retirement contributions.

Significant Long-Term Compound Losses for Young Workers

Financial analysts emphasize that missing out on superannuation during teenage years carries exponential negative consequences due to the loss of long-term compounding interest. Contributions deposited into superannuation accounts during early employment enjoy the longest investment horizon before retirement.

According to the Super Members Council, a typical teenager working two years in part-time retail or hospitality positions loses approximately 2,500 dollars in direct employer contributions before reaching adulthood. By the time that individual reaches standard retirement age, that missing initial capital translates to an estimated 11,000 dollars in lost retirement wealth in today’s terms.

The data also reveals a persistent gender disparity rooted in early workforce participation patterns. Because teenage women are statistically more likely to work casual and part-time hours than teenage men, young female workers miss out on roughly 6 percent more in total contributions before age 18, widening the national gender superannuation gap from their very first jobs.

“Teenage workers are being denied a basic workplace right that 17 million other working Australians enjoy, and that is just not fair,” stated Super Members Council Chief Executive Misha Schubert during the report release. “A young person who earns a wage should also be paid super. Yet this outdated and discriminatory law treats teen workers differently just because of their age and their hours.”

Growing Political Momentum and Calls for Reform

Pressure is mounting on federal policymakers to abolish the 30-hour threshold and standardize superannuation entitlements for all workers regardless of age or weekly hours worked. Community support for universal coverage remains strong, with recent survey data indicating that 85 percent of Australians believe anyone in paid employment deserves compulsory superannuation contributions.

The proposed legislative changes have gained notable political traction in parliament:

• Labor Party Platform Alignment: Delegates at the Australian Labor Party National Conference recently voted to incorporate compulsory superannuation for under-18 workers into the party’s official policy platform.
• Parliamentary Inquiry: Crossbench lawmakers and the Australian Greens introduced amending legislation to eliminate the 30-hour rule, securing a Senate committee inquiry tasked with delivering final recommendations.
• Employer Administrative Simplification: Industry groups note that removing the age-based threshold would streamline payroll administration for small businesses by eliminating the need to track shifting weekly hours for junior staff.

Proponents of reform recommend implementing a structured transition period similar to the approach taken in 2022 when the federal government abolished the former 450 dollar monthly minimum earnings threshold for superannuation eligibility.

Impact on Employers and the Federal Budget

Business groups have raised questions regarding the additional payroll costs for small businesses operating in labor-intensive sectors like retail, fast food, and care services. However, economic modeling demonstrates that extending superannuation to under-18 workers would represent an increase of approximately 0.03 percent of total employee compensation nationwide, with employer contributions remaining tax-deductible.

Furthermore, superannuation experts argue that ensuring young Australians begin accumulating retirement savings from day one reduces long-term reliance on the government Age Pension, ultimately delivering net savings to the federal budget as the workforce ages.

As public debate intensifies ahead of the Senate committee’s final report, advocacy groups continue to urge lawmakers to act swiftly to ensure Australia’s youngest workers receive equal treatment under national workplace laws.

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