Budget 2026: Sainsbury’s boss urges Labour to tackle Neets crisis
The boss of Sainsbury’s has urged the government to tackle the UK’s youth unemployment crisis, as he hit out at previous hikes to the cost of hiring workers. Simon Roberts, chief executive of the UK’s second-largest grocer, said John Healey must “focus on doing the right thing for young people” at next week’s Budget. In [...]
Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts has called on the UK government to address the youth unemployment crisis, specifically targeting Labour leader John Healey for the upcoming Budget. Roberts criticized previous hikes to employer national insurance contributions (NICs) under the previous government, which he said had adversely affected the retail sector.
He urged the government to match businesses' commitments to create 10,000 work experience opportunities for "Neets" – individuals not in education, employment, or training. Roberts emphasized the need to avoid further cost increases for businesses, as they could exacerbate the youth employment crisis and contribute to food inflation.
He expressed confidence that the current government, led by Burnham, is attentive to businesses' concerns. Sainsbury’s and other retailers, including Tesco, have been advocating for reforms in business rates and additional measures to reduce Neet numbers. Despite recent slowing sales growth and concerns about rising costs of living, Sainsbury’s expects inflation to peak at 6.4% next summer, lower than initially predicted.
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