Member

Nor is the wider framework helping. Ministers say that they are not banning all zero-hours contracts and that workers will be able to stay on them if they wish, but the Government’s fact sheet on the Employment Rights Act confirms that employers will have to offer guaranteed hours based on regular patterns. Retailers are warning that, if implementation adds further cost or rigidity, entry-level and short-hour roles will be the first to go. That is precisely the sort of flexible, part-time work on which many younger workers depend. So will the Minister say what is the plan for the 957,000 young people who are now not in education, employment or training? What is the plan for small firms already telling us that labour costs are their biggest pressure? What is the plan for sectors such as retail and hospitality that provide the first rung on the ladder? What is the plan for the 18 year-old, the 19 year-old or the 20 year-old who does not need another Whitehall initiative but simply needs an employer willing to take a chance on them?