A significant report by Alan Milburn, a former Labour cabinet minister, is charting a new course for the UK’s youth employment landscape. The review, set to be published this month, proposes a sweeping transformation of how the state supports young people who are not in education, employment, or training. Central to this vision is the introduction of “flexi-jobs”—a creative approach that allows disabled and chronically ill 16-to-24-year-olds to secure paid work while maintaining control over their schedules. The proposal aims to dismantle the barriers that have kept over a million young people on the sidelines of the labour market, marking a potential “opportunity revolution” for a generation.
The Scale of the Youth Disconnection
The figures are sobering. Approximately one million young people in the United Kingdom find themselves untethered from the core of economic life: they are not in education, employment, or training. This demographic, known as NEETs, represents a structural crisis within the nation’s workforce. The review highlights that nearly half of these young adults—around 45%—are disabled or living with chronic ill health. This is not a temporary phase of adolescence; it is a systemic failure that leaves thousands of young people without the skills or opportunities to enter the labour market. The gap is widening, with the most vulnerable among them facing compounding difficulties that make re-entry into work increasingly elusive.
A ‘Flexi-Job’ Revolution for the Next Generation
At the heart of the Milburn review lies a bold proposal to overhaul how the state approaches work for those with disabilities. The
