The Green Party has unveiled an ambitious employment scheme targeting young people not in work, education or training, proposing to guarantee jobs within four months of leaving formal education. Co-deputy leader Mothin Ali announced the policy at the party's conference in Brighton, highlighting what he described as a million young people who were "bored, desperate and lost" without employment or training opportunities.
Under the Green proposal, unemployed people aged 18 to 24 would be offered positions in the private sector, with the government covering half of all wages. The party has not disclosed a specific budget allocation but contends the initiative would reduce welfare expenditure and increase tax revenue from employment. Employers participating in the scheme would be relieved of National Insurance contributions but would be required to provide on-the-job training.
According to the full text of Ali's conference address, a Green government would launch the first phase of the guarantee within its opening 100 days in office. The party intends to begin implementation in areas facing the most severe youth employment challenges, specifically naming Rotherham, Ceredigion, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Broxtowe and South Staffordshire, before expanding to cover the entire country.
Ali drew a direct contrast with the government's existing employment support, criticising ministers for threatening young people with cuts to Universal Credit if they refuse to participate in short-term work placements.
"Threatening young people with cuts to Universal Credit if they don't accept short-term work placements - that's not a youth strategy,"he told party activists. He went on to argue that working-class young people deserved genuine opportunities to pursue their aspirations:
"Working class kids should be able to dream. But more than dream, they should have a genuine chance of making those dreams a reality."
How does this compare to the government's current approach?
The government operates its own Jobs Guarantee scheme, which is considerably narrower in scope. According to official guidance on the Jobs Guarantee, the scheme is planned to provide 55,000 jobs over three years exclusively for 18- to 21-year-olds who have been receiving Universal Credit and actively seeking work for at least 18 months. These placements fund six months of employment at 25 hours per week, paid at the relevant minimum wage. The Green proposal would extend eligibility to all 18- to 24-year-olds regardless of benefit status and would offer double the duration at two years.
What is the scale of youth unemployment?
The number of 16- to 24-year-olds classified as NEET—not in employment, education or training—has been climbing since the Covid pandemic, with figures approaching one million. According to an interim review of the issue, more than one million young people currently fall into this category, and without intervention, as many as one in six could face long-term unemployment within five years.
What other policies did the Greens announce?
During her own conference address, Rachel Millward, Ali's fellow co-deputy leader, announced that a Green government would immediately return Thames Water and South East Water to public ownership. She argued this action could proceed without compensating shareholders, pointing to persistent water supply failures and insufficient investment in new reservoir capacity.
Millward directly challenged the government's current approach to water regulation, stating that Prime Minister Andy Burnham's "10-year plan of gentle threats and vague notions of control is not enough."
"We need public ownership now, and we have all the tools we need to make it happen,"she declared. While Burnham has pledged to increase public control over water services, he has not committed to nationalising any water companies.
South East Water responded to the announcement by emphasising its investment commitments:
"We are focused on delivering on our commitments by investing £1.9 billion into local infrastructure and resilience over the next five years. We support working closely with the communities we serve and are accountable to, so that we can provide the best possible service for customers."Thames Water has not yet provided a formal response to the Green Party's proposals.
What happens next?
A comprehensive report into youth unemployment by former Labour minister Alan Milburn is expected to be published in autumn 2026. The report will include recommendations for addressing the NEET crisis and may influence policy across multiple parties as they develop their own approaches to tackling youth joblessness.
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