Small businesses willing to innovate and create employment are vital to the UK’s recovery

Lord Shipley, Chair of the new House of Lords Select Committee on Youth Unemployment, joined BackinBusiness CEO Liz Barclay to discuss the inquiry his committee has launched and the impact of pandemic on the employment prospects of young people.

Youth unemployment is a longstanding issue in the UK and one which has been exacerbated by COVID-19. The latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data shows that under-25s account for over 60% of the fall in UK employees since before the pandemic.

The new committee is considering what measures should be taken to protect and create jobs for young people. It is examining how the labour market may change due to current events such as COVID-19, Brexit, and technological developments in the years ahead. It intends to propose long-term, durable solutions and will report before the end of November 2021.

Speaking to Liz Barclay, Lord Shipley considered the challenges of creating jobs for the large numbers of young people looking for work, the skills firms need from those young people, and the important role of small businesses willing to innovate and create employment vital to the UK’s recovery.

During the interview, Lord Shipley announced an invitation for stakeholders and interested partners to provide submissions to the inquiry. The deadline for submissions is 4pm on 10 May 2021, which can be done by following this link.

BackinBusiness is a podcast set up in the beginning of the first lockdown to champion the role of small businesses and the self-employed. The platform offers to provide a voice to this critical business sector on the challenges, issues and opportunities that many are facing.

Each week a new podcast is released focusing on a particular item or topic effecting small business and the self-employed. In addition, BackinBusiness runs an occasional series called the Mental Wellbeing podcast, aimed to support those struggling with their mental wellbeing whilst running a business, and we also produce a series with interviews with politicians and business leaders. Each item is promoted through social media and wider stakeholder engagement.