UK Hospitality Employers and Government Pledge 100,000 Jobs for Unemployed Young People

Britain's largest hospitality employers have joined a government-backed partnership to create 100,000 paid jobs, work experience placements and training opportunities for young people aged 18 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training. The pledge, announced on October 15, is led by industry body UKHospitality with the Department for Work and Pensions and runs for three years, with the target to be met by the end of the current Parliament.

Companies taking part include hotel, pub and restaurant operators such as Whitbread, McDonald's, Nando's, Marriott, Compass, Burger King, Parkdean Resorts, Haven, Fuller's, Merlin Entertainments, Stonegate Group, Mitchells and Butlers, Wagamama, Sodexo, WSH Limited and De Vere. The Department for Work and Pensions said the programme combines paid employment with workplace experience and training, intended to give participants a first step into work and a route toward longer-term careers.

The Scale of the Challenge

The scheme responds to a large pool of jobless young people. Office for National Statistics figures cited in the announcements show almost one million people aged 16 to 24 were classed as not in education, employment or training, with the estimate at 981,000 for the April to June period this year. The government said nearly six in ten of those young people have never held a job.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said hospitality has long given young people a route into the world of work, and described the partnership as a way to connect unemployed young people with employers ready to take them on. UKHospitality chief executive Allen Simpson said the sector is the leading employer of young people in the economy, noting that the industry accounts for 31% of first jobs for 16 to 24-year-olds and creates around 300,000 roles for young workers each year.

Skills Passport and Hiring Incentives

A central element of the plan is wider access to the Hospitality Skills Passport, an industry scheme that helps young people gain the skills and qualifications needed to enter the sector. UKHospitality said the expansion is cost-saving for its members and will form a significant part of the joint effort. The government has also introduced a 3,000 pound Youth Jobs Grant for each eligible hire and a 2,000 pound payment for each new apprentice, support that independent venues can claim as well as large chains.

The pledge comes as operators face pressure on staffing costs. Hospitality leaders say higher payroll costs have already removed around 100,000 jobs from the industry over two years, and the British Beer and Pub Association estimates that 360 pubs could close permanently by the end of 2026, putting approximately 5,000 jobs at risk, more than half of them held by people under 25. For workers weighing a move into hospitality careers, the partnership signals that entry-level hiring is being backed by public money and formal training rather than left to individual venues.

What to Watch Next

UKHospitality described the announcement as a first step and said the partnership remains open to more businesses joining. How quickly the 100,000 starts materialize, and whether smaller independent pubs, cafes and restaurants sign up alongside the chains, will be the main test of the programme. The government has framed the deal as part of a wider Youth Guarantee that aims to offer every 16 to 24-year-old a route into work, education or training, and it follows a similar commitment of 100,000 jobs for young people from major retailers.

Company leaders have tied the effort to their own hiring pipelines. Stonegate Group chief executive David McDowall said hospitality has a unique ability to give young people a first opportunity, drawing on his own start as a part-time bartender at 18. Dominic Paul, chief executive of Premier Inn owner Whitbread, said many young people join the business for their first job and stay to build careers.