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Gordon Brown says unemployed could be 'betrayed' in budget

Ex-PM says government has been complacent over ongoing issue of joblessness amid Covid-19
Rishi Sunak will be betraying a generation of unemployed people unless he uses Wednesday’s budget to scale up support for the growing ranks of the long-term jobless people, the former prime minister Gordon Brown has warned.
Brown accused the government of complacency over the unemployment threat and said it was scandalous that not a single worker had been helped by the Restart scheme for the long-term adult jobless.
Sunak’s Kickstart scheme to tackle long-term unemployment among the under-25 age group had helped only three out of every 1,000 young people, the former prime minister added.
The chancellor said on Sunday that 100,000 places were lined up for young people under Kickstart, although the Treasury accepts that there is a lag between positions being found and placements starting.
Government complacency is betraying a generation of unemployed,” Brown said. “The pandemic hit a year ago but the government’s failure to move quickly is condemning a whole generation of young people to joblessness and rejection and many to mental depression.”
The former prime minster said the government would not release regional data to show what was happening at a local level but the research suggested that in cities the size of Liverpool, Bristol or Manchester the numbers in the work programmes under Kickstart were little more than 20 and at best 30 in each place.
“And worse even than this shocking blow to young people, is the scandalous failure so far to place just one adult on the government’s programme for the long term unemployed.”
Brown’s comments accompanied a report from the Alliance For Full Employment which estimated there were at least 1,000 under-25s in every constituency in Britain who have not had a job for at least six months – the official definition of long-term youth unemployment.
The Restart scheme for adult long-term unemployment – those out of work for more than a year – does not begin until the summer. Brown said Office for National Statistics data showed there were 470,000 people of all ages who were long-term jobless.
The report called for a 10-point plan to tackle unemployment, including:
Targeting new job creation in industries that are either understaffed, such as social care or expanding, such as renewable energy.
Temporary cuts in national insurance contributions for employers to create hiring incentives.
Advancing parts of the £100bn capital investment programme that would lead to immediate job creation, offering skills support for potential employees on infrastructure projects.
Bringing forward the date for the start of Restart and providing help to public authorities to take on the unemployed.
Increasing the scale and reach of Kickstart to provide work based training for the 1 million young unemployed; ensure adequate support and training is given to find long term employment. Extend the length of Kickstart beyond December 2021.
Brown said: “The Restart programme was supposed to offer a job to those have been out of work for 12 months. By the time men and women are offered places this summer and autumn, thousands will have been out of work for 18 months.
“The time for the chancellor to act is this Wednesday. His budget must kickstart Kickstart and restart Restart. He has to deliver a budget with the impetus, ambition and money to out match the scale of the looming unemployment tragedy.”
source: Larry Elliott
Levant
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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