Question reference: S5W-32484
- Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 13 October 2020
-
Current status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many young people it estimates need employment support; what progress it has made on developing the Young Person Guarantee and Kickstart schemes in Scotland, and how many young people in Scotland it estimates will be helped through each of these schemes.
Answer
The latest ONS Labour market statistics show that COVID-19 is continuing to impact on Scotland’s young people. Based on trends from previous recessions it is estimated that the unemployment rate of 16-24-year olds in Scotland could peak at around 20% as a result of COVID-19. This could result in over 60,000 young people becoming unemployed and not in education as a result of the impacts of the pandemic.
Further details on how the Young Person’s Guarantee will be implemented will be set out to Parliament shortly. The Scottish Government is working with partners including local authorities, Scottish Funding Council, Skills Development Scotland and Developing the Young Workforce Groups to finalise plans that will set out how the additional investment for the Young Person's Guarantee will be used to increase the number and range of opportunities available to young people.
The delivery of Kickstart is a matter for the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government continues to engage with the Department for Work and Pensions to discuss the alignment between Kickstart and the Young Person’s Guarantee with a view to ensuring it supports existing interventions in Scotland.