Business
Young people on benefits to be offered construction and hospitality work
Young people on benefits will be offered taxpayer-funded jobs in areas such as construction and hospitality, in a bid to tackle rising youth unemployment.
The government plans to fund 55,000 six-month placements from an £820m pot announced at the Budget, which will also fund training and work support.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said those who decline the job offer without a “good reason” would be stripped of their benefits.
The Conservatives said the scheme showed that Labour had “no plan for growth, no plan to create real jobs”.
The placements will begin to be rolled out in six parts of the UK with high youth unemployment from spring 2026, it has been confirmed, following the initial announcement of the scheme in September.
The six-month roles will be “fully subsidised” for 25 hours a week, paid at the legal minimum wage, and offered to 18- to-21-year-olds on universal credit who have been looking for work for 18 months.
Employers taking part in the scheme are yet to be announced, but ministers have said new opportunities will be created in sectors including construction, health and social care and hospitality.
In total, the government plans to create 350,000 training and work experience placements.
On BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg McFadden was pressed for more detail on what might count as a good reason to decline a role.
He said this could include where a “family emergency” prevented them from making an appointment.
The number of 16-24-year-olds not in employment, education or training – known as Neets – has been trending upwards since 2021, with the latest figures showing nearly a million young people are now not earning or learning.
It said that the government-backed jobs will not necessarily be in the same sectors, but that they would be in the following regions:
- Birmingham and Solihull
- the East Midlands
- Greater Manchester
- Hertfordshire and Essex
- Central and eastern Scotland
- South-west and south-eastern Wales
The government says that 900,000 young people in total who are on Universal Credit and are looking for work will be given a “dedicated work support session”, followed by four additional weeks of “intensive support”.
An employment coach will then refer them to one of six pathways: work, work experience, apprenticeship, wider training, learning, or a workplace training programme with a guaranteed interview.
The government expects more than 1,000 young people to start a job in the first six months of the scheme.
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately criticised other measures announced in the Budget, saying: “The Chancellor’s tax hikes are driving up youth unemployment, snatching a career from a generation of young people.”
She added: “This scheme is nothing more than taking with one hand to give with the other.”
Further plans are expected to be set out in the coming week as the government prepares to publish its national youth strategy.
Reeves previously announced that the government would be funding a scheme to make apprenticeship training for under-25s at small and medium businesses “completely free”.
There were 946,000 young people who were Neet in the UK in the three months to September – equivalent to 12.7% of all people aged 16-24.
A quarter cite long-term sickness or disability as a barrier to work or education, while the number claiming health and disability benefits is also on the rise.
The government announced last month that it was launching an independent review into the rising number of young people not working or studying.
Mumbai: Shares of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent company of IndiGo Airlines, fell sharply in early trade on Monday, dropping 6.6 per cent to an intra-day low of Rs 5,015 on the BSE.
However, it recovered later as around 9:45 a.m., the shares were trading at Rs 5,159.50, down by Rs 211 or 3.93 per cent.
The sell-off came after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) extended the deadline for IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to respond to a show-cause notice linked to the airline’s recent operational disruptions.
The aviation regulator had issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo’s accountable manager on Sunday, just a day after sending a similar notice to CEO Pieter Elbers.
The DGCA said that the airline’s massive wave of cancellations over the past week caused widespread inconvenience and distress to passengers across the country.
According to the regulator, the disruptions were largely triggered by IndiGo’s failure to plan properly for the rollout of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules.
These rules, which lay down the duty hours and mandatory rest periods for flight crew, came into effect recently and have created significant operational challenges for the airline.
In its notice, the DGCA pointed out that IndiGo’s “large-scale operation failures” suggest major lapses in planning, oversight and resource management.
The accountable manager has been given 24 hours to explain why enforcement action should not be taken. If the airline fails to respond within the extended deadline, the DGCA has said it will proceed based on the information available.
Even as the regulatory pressure increases, IndiGo said on Sunday that it has restored 95 per cent of its network and plans to operate around 1,500 flights.
The airline claimed that its operations are on track to stabilise by December 10, with improving on-time performance and fewer cancellations.
However, more than 220 flights had already been cancelled across major airports by the time of reporting, adding to the inconvenience faced by thousands of passengers.
US President Donald Trump has flagged potential concerns over Netflix’s planned $72bn (£54bn) deal to buy Warner Brothers Discovery’s movie studio and popular HBO streaming networks.
At an event in Washington DC on Sunday, he said Netflix has a “big market share” and the firms’ combined size “could be a problem”.
On Friday, the two companies said they had reached an agreement that could bring Warner Brothers’ franchises like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones to Netflix, creating a new media giant.
The planned deal, which has raised concerns among some in the industry, is yet to be approved by competition authorities. The BBC has contacted Warner Brothers, Netflix and the White House for comment.
Launched in 1997 as a postal DVD rental business, Netflix has grown to become the world’s largest subscription streaming service. The deal – the biggest the film industry has seen in a long time – would cement its number one position.
Under the agreement several global entertainment franchises, such as Looney Tunes, The Matrix and Lord of the Rings, would move to Netflix.
The US Justice Department’s competition division, which oversees major mergers, could contend that the deal violates the law if the combined businesses account for too much of the streaming market.
At an event at the John F. Kennedy Center in the US capital, Trump said that Netflix has a “very big market share” which would “go up by a lot” if the deal goes ahead.
Trump added that he would be personally involved in the decision on whether or not to approve the deal and repeatedly highlighted the size of Netflix’s market share.
He also said that Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos recently visited the Oval Office and praised him for his work at the company.
“I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a great person,” said Trump. “He’s done one of the greatest jobs in the history of movies.”
Mr Sarandos earlier acknowledged that the agreement may have surprised investors but said it was a chance to position Netflix for success in the “decades to come”.
Some in the entertainment industry have criticised the agreement.
The Writers Guild of America’s East and West branches called for the merger to be blocked, saying the “world’s largest streaming company swallowing one of its biggest competitors is what antitrust laws were designed to prevent.”
“The outcome would eliminate jobs, push down wages, worsen conditions for all entertainment workers, raise prices for consumers and reduce the volume and diversity of content for all viewers,” it said on Friday.
Suranjana TewariAsia Business Correspondent, Tokyo
BBCLast year, more than 18,000 older people living with dementia left their homes and went missing in Japan. Almost 500 were later found dead.
Police say such cases have doubled since 2012.
Elderly people aged 65 and over now make up nearly 30% of Japan’s population – the second-highest proportion in the world after Monaco, according to the World Bank.
The crisis is further compounded by a shrinking workforce and tight limits on foreign workers coming in to provide care.
Japan’s government has identified dementia as one of its most urgent policy challenges, with the Health Ministry estimating that dementia-related health and social care costs will reach 14 trillion yen ($90bn; £67bn) by 2030 – up from nine trillion yen in 2025.
In its most recent strategy, the government has signalled a stronger pivot toward technology to ease the pressure.
Across the country, people are adopting GPS-based systems to keep track of those who go missing.
Some regions offer wearable GPS tags that can alert authorities the moment a person leaves a designated area.
In some towns, convenience-store workers receive real-time notifications – a kind of community safety net that can locate a missing person within hours.
Robot caregivers and AI
Other technologies aim to detect dementia earlier.
Fujitsu’s aiGait uses AI to analyse posture and walking patterns, picking up early signs of dementia – shuffling while walking, slower turns or difficulty standing – generating skeletal outlines clinicians can review during routine check-ups.
“Early detection of age-related diseases is key,” says Hidenori Fujiwara, a Fujitsu spokesperson. “If doctors can use motion-capture data, they can intervene earlier and help people remain active for longer.”
Meanwhile, researchers at Waseda University are developing AIREC, a 150kg humanoid robot designed to be a “future” caregiver.
It can help a person put on socks, scramble eggs and fold laundry. The scientists at Waseda University hope that in the future, AIREC will be able to change adult nappies and prevent bedsores in patients.
Similar robots are already being used in care homes to play music to residents or guide them in simple stretching exercises.
They are also monitoring patients at night – placed under mattresses to track sleep and conditions – and cutting back on the need for humans doing the rounds.
Although humanoid robots are being developed for the near future, Assistant Professor Tamon Miyake says the level of precision and intelligence required will take at last five years before they are safely able to interact with humans.
“It requires full-body sensing and adaptive understanding – how to adjust for each person and situation,” he says.
Emotional support is also part of the innovation drive.
Poketomo, a 12cm tall robot, can be carried around in a bag or can fit into a pocket. It reminds users to take medication, tells you how to prepare in real time for the weather outside and offers conversation for those living alone, which its creators say helps to ease social isolation.
“We’re focusing on social issues… and to use new technology to help solve those problems,” Miho Kagei, development manager from Sharp told the BBC.
While devices and robots offer new ways to assist, human connection remains irreplaceable.
“Robots should supplement, not substitute, human caregivers,” Mr Miyake, the Waseda University scientist said. “While they may take over some tasks, their main role is to assist both caregivers and patients.”
At the Restaurant of Mistaken Orders in Sengawa, Tokyo, founded by Akiko Kanna, people stream in to be served by patients suffering from dementia.
Inspired by her father’s experience with the condition, Ms Kanna wanted a place where people could remain engaged and feel purposeful.
Toshio Morita, one of the café’s servers, uses flowers to remember which table ordered what.
Despite his cognitive decline, Mr Morita enjoys the interaction. For his wife, the café provides respite and helps keep him engaged.
Kanna’s café illustrates why social interventions and community support remain essential. Technology can provide tools and relief, but meaningful engagement and human connection are what truly sustain people living with dementia.
“Honestly? I wanted a little pocket money. I like meeting all sorts of people,” Mr Morita says. “Everyone’s different – that’s what makes it fun.”
Getty ImagesAdditional reporting by Jaltson Akkanath Chummar
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