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First young people start paid jobs through new employment guarantee

The first participants have started six-month paid roles through a national scheme aimed at young people who have been out of work for an extended period.

By THE TEA · 31 August 2026

A group of people working together in a meeting room, used as a representative image for employment and workplace opportunities Image: Photo: Elena Golubeva / UnsplashOriginal source

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The first young people have started paid jobs through a new employment programme designed for people who have spent a long period looking for work.

The Jobs Guarantee is aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds who are claiming Universal Credit and have been searching for work for 18 months. Participants are matched with paid roles of up to 25 hours a week for six months.

The government says the wider programme is intended to create more than 90,000 fully funded jobs by 2029 as part of a broader youth-employment package.

A guaranteed role does not solve every barrier to employment, but it changes one important part of the equation: instead of asking someone to keep proving they are employable without recent experience, it gives them paid time in a real workplace to build skills, references and confidence.

The first cohort beginning work now will provide an early test of whether that approach leads to longer-term employment after the funded placement ends.