We gave £500 billion to the banks. What did young people get? A giro.

Unemployment for young people is going through the roof. All of New Labour’s boasts about getting young people into new (low paid, unskilled, crap jobs) have been blown away by the recession.

Youth unemployment is now as high as it was under the Tories. And it’s only going to grow.

Over 20% of 16-24 year olds are unemployed. The rate is even higher for 16-17 year olds who left school, over 30% – and unlike 18 year olds they are too young to claim benefits.
The average unemployment rate has now rose to over 7%, showing that young people are facing the brunt.

This comes alongside the devastating news that city bonuses have dropped to only £7 Billion this year. That’s half of last years booty, so remember that next time you get £50 a week from the dole to spend.

The Government are proposing funding a £1 Billion fund for 150,000 jobs, which must last at least 6 months and will be minimum wage.

But there’s now over 2 million unemployed – 150,000 is less than 10% of that figure. 6 months and then back on the dole is not a way to live your life, and neither is working on New Labour’s pathetic minimum wage – a minimum wage which discriminates against under 21′s for doing the same job.

There is another solution – take the gargantuan wealth of the billionaires and use it for real jobs, on decent wages that do not end in 6 months.

How about we pay every unemployed young person £8 per hour to build socially owned, cheap rent houses and solve the housing problem?

Or employ an army of young people to abolish child poverty in this country forever?

Fuck Dragons Den – support decent jobs for young people, working in their communities to make them better, safer and healthier places to live.