London’s boroughs are calling on the government to use the Autumn Budget to deliver a new, fully devolved multi-year funding settlement for employment and skills services, as London records the highest youth unemployment rate in the UK.
Nearly a quarter of all 16–24-year-olds were unemployed between November 2025 and January this year, equivalent to around 135,000 young Londoners. Almost 1.3 million Londoners are economically inactive, including around 280,000 who want to work but are unable to do so.
London Councils says its proposal for a multi-year funding pot, co-designed by boroughs and City Hall, would give boroughs the certainty to join up employment support and help more Londoners into good-quality work.
More than one million 16–24-year-olds across the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET), with London accounting for one in six NEETs across England. The government’s interim Milburn Review report also highlighted the need for a more coherent system to support young people into education, employment and training.
In the 12 months to April 2026, London boroughs supported more than 58,000 Londoners through their local employment services, offering help such as CV and job application support, interview preparation and careers engagement with schools. But short-term funding arrangements make it hard to plan ahead, and Londoners are still facing a complex and fragmented system.
Cllr Kam Rai, London Councils’ Deputy Chair and Executive Member for Growth, Economy, Skills and Employment, said:
“We simply cannot afford to let a generation of Londoners get left behind. The capital offers an extraordinary range of career opportunities, but too many Londoners face barriers accessing them.
“Boroughs are already supporting Londoners into work, but short-term funding arrangements make it hard to plan beyond the next year. A devolved multi-year settlement would provide the certainty to invest in life-changing initiatives that connect more Londoners to good jobs across our city.”
London’s five Get Britain Working Trailblazers provide employment support, including CV writing, interview preparation and travel costs, and have supported more than 6,000 Londoners into education, training or employment in their first year. London Councils is calling for funding to be guaranteed for a third year so successful programmes due to end next year are not lost because of a funding cliff-edge.
London Councils is also calling for closer working with the Department for Work and Pensions, including better data sharing, so boroughs can target support where it is needed and connect more Londoners to good jobs.
