Hospitality companies to create 100,000 new roles for NEETs

The UK's leading hospitality businesses have committed to hiring 100,000 young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), it has been announced.

The paid employment initiative - in partnership with UKHospitality and developed with the Department for Work and Pensions - will target those aged 18 to 24 and includes businesses such as McDonald's, Burger King, Nando's and Wagamama.

"Hospitality is the number one employer of young people in the economy, providing valuable and rewarding routes into work," UKHospitality chief executive Allen Simpson said.

He added that the announcement shows the government recognises hospitality as a "critical sector to solve the NEETs crisis".

The Office for National Statistics estimates there were 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 years in the UK who were NEET between April and June this year.

The move comes on the back of a similar announcement last month, which saw major retailers announce they would deliver 100,000 jobs for young people.

Former Marks and Spencer chief executive Marc Bolland - appointed by the government to drive forward youth employment reforms - played a central role in the deal.

In recent years, the hospitality sector has been squeezed by higher staffing costs, an increase in employer National Insurance contributions and elevated energy costs.

In June, Simon Emeny, the boss of Fuller's pubs - one of the companies participating in the new scheme - said the incentive for hospitality businesses to hire younger and inexperienced staff had "gone away" since the minimum wage for under-21s increased.

Keir Starmer's government had previously pledged to scrap what it called "discriminatory" lower minimum wage rates for under-21s, saying they should be equalised with the national rate.

More from Sky News:
What NVIDIA's CEO thinks about the UK's AI future - and safety
Trump offers message to Pope Leo after lung cancer surgery

Last week, the Conservatives pledged to halve employer National Insurance on jobs worked by young people if they win the next election.

The party said the flat rate for businesses would be slashed from 15% to 7.5% for workers aged 21 to 24 at an estimated cost of £2.3bn.

Separately, the education secretary is expected to announce a review of school exclusion reforms - as part of a wider effort to stop young people becoming disconnected from education.

The government will seek views on measures to strengthen support for pupils at risk of exclusion, improve reintegration into school following suspension, and ensure children continue learning while out of the classroom.

Students who are absent from school 10% of the time or more are 3.9 times more likely to end up NEET.

(c) Sky News 2026: Hospitality companies to create 100,000 new roles for NEETs