OPINION: We need to save the Saturday job to support young people
If we want the next generation to succeed, we need to make it easier for businesses to offer those opportunities, not harder.
Monthly column by Blake Stephenson, the Conservative MP for Mid Bedfordshire.
One of the most worrying trends in today's economy is the slow disappearance of the Saturday job – reducing opportunities for young people.
For decades, a part-time job was a milestone for young people. It might have been serving customers in a café, stacking shelves at the supermarket or washing up in the local pub. The work was often hard, the hours unsociable and the pay modest, but those jobs gave young people something far more valuable than a wage. They gave them experience.
I still remember my own first jobs. Sweeping a weighbridge at a scrapyard and pot washing in my local pub. They taught me what it meant to turn up on time, work with people from different backgrounds, deal with customers and take responsibility. Those experiences helped build confidence and resilience long before I entered my chosen career, and I know countless people who would say exactly the same.
That first step into work is becoming much harder to find. Youth unemployment is climbing, with almost one in seven 18 to 24-year-olds now out of work. At the same time, many businesses are scaling back recruitment as they grapple with higher costs and greater regulation. When employers are under pressure, it is often entry-level roles that disappear first.
The Saturday job has always been about much more than earning a bit of spending money. It gives young people a reference for future jobs, experience to put on a CV and the confidence that comes from succeeding in the workplace. It helps them discover what they enjoy, what they are good at and, sometimes, what they never want to do again. Every one of those lessons has value.
If we want the next generation to succeed, we need to make it easier for businesses to offer those opportunities, not harder. That means creating the conditions for growth, easing unnecessary burdens on employers and recognising that small businesses, pubs, cafés and retailers play a vital role in helping young people into work.
Recent research, including the Milburn Review, has highlighted the decline of the Saturday job and the impact that is having on social mobility. When fewer young people can gain early work experience, it becomes harder for them to build the confidence, skills and connections that help people get on in life.
Every successful career starts somewhere. For many people, it started with a Saturday job. We should be doing everything we can to make sure today's young people have that same opportunity.