John Caudwell Advocates for Saturday Jobs to Combat Youth Unemployment
Spiralling labour costs and increased regulation have decimated what were once common entry-level jobs for teenagers, according to entrepreneur John Caudwell. In a compelling argument, he highlights the urgent need to revive Saturday jobs to address the growing crisis of youth unemployment in Britain.
The Disappearance of Early Work Experience
Caudwell reflects on his own youth, where working early was a norm that taught responsibility, independence, and the value of money. He grew worms to sell to fishermen, traded cigarette packet coupons, sold soap door-to-door for charity, and ran a small mail-order business for motorcycle clothing. Today, however, the quiet disappearance of Saturday jobs is alarming, with fewer than one in five 16-17-year-olds in work, down from nearly half at the start of the century.
Simultaneously, nearly a million young people aged 16 to 24 are classified as NEET, meaning not in education, employment, or training. These figures indicate a system failing to help young people transition into working life. Former Labour minister Alan Milburn, leading a government review into youth unemployment, warns that the decline of roles like paper rounds and shop work risks creating a lost generation unprepared for employment.
The Value of Saturday Jobs
Those few hours a week matter far more than often realised. They teach essential skills such as punctuality, teamwork, customer service, confidence, and resilience. Moreover, they provide practical work experience that many full-time roles later demand. Even graduates benefit from learning the basics of work early on.
Caudwell witnessed this firsthand as the founder of Phones 4u, which at its peak employed tens of thousands across the UK, many of them young. High street stores often served as a first job for teenagers working Saturdays, students earning through college, or school leavers entering retail and sales. Employees learned to speak to customers, meet targets, handle pressure, and work in teams, with many progressing into management or using those skills in other industries.
Barriers to Youth Employment
The reasons for the decline are well-known: hiring young workers has become more expensive and regulated, schools often discourage paid work in favour of academics, and parents worry about balance. Small, informal jobs like paper rounds and casual retail roles have steadily disappeared, leaving fewer pathways into work.
In response, the government has announced new funding in the Budget aimed at reducing youth unemployment, alongside reforms to apprenticeships and expanded support for young people on benefits. While these are sensible steps, Caudwell argues that policy alone cannot solve what is also a cultural problem. Society has stopped viewing early work as a positive, treating Saturday jobs as a risk rather than an opportunity.
Rebuilding Pathways into Work
To reduce NEET numbers, Caudwell urges rebuilding the everyday pathways that once existed naturally. This involves making it easier for businesses, especially small and medium-sized ones, to hire young people part-time, valuing practical experience alongside exam results, and recognising work itself as a form of education. A job, however modest, gives a young person purpose, confidence, and independence.
Britain does not lack ambition among its youth, but it lacks the stepping stones to nurture that ambition early. Rebuilding Saturday jobs, apprenticeships, and entry-level roles may not sound revolutionary, but it could be the most effective way to ensure the next generation is ready for work and life.
