{
  "id": 6409858,
  "title": "Gareth Southgate hits out at WFH and warns high taxes are harming youth unemployment",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/gareth-southgate-hits-out-at-wfh-and-warns-high-taxes-are-harming",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-09T10:20:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/gareth-southgate-hits-out-at-wfh-and-warns-high-taxes-are-harming-youth-unemployment/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate has criticized remote work policies and advocated for workplace mentors to aid young people in their career development. During a trip with Neets tsar Alan Milburn to the Netherlands, Southgate expressed his dislike for companies' remote work practices and linked it to the rising unemployment crisis among individuals under 25 years old.\n\nSouthgate emphasized that being part of a football team provided him with consistent coaching and a robust support system, which he believes businesses can offer to their employees. He argued that the absence of this kind of support network is one reason why working from home harms young individuals' career prospects.\n\nSouthgate also criticized the increasing tax burden on businesses, stating that higher national insurance contributions and other cost increases have dissuaded firms in sectors like retail and hospitality from hiring new staff. He added that risk-averse employers are hesitant to take on additional costs without clear outcomes, which may discourage them from employing young people.\n\nSeveral business leaders, including JP Morgan chief Jamie Dimon and former Marks & Spencer chairman Lord Stuart Rose, have been vocal critics of remote work. While Milburn's interim report on youth unemployment mentioned the cost of this issue at up to £125 billion annually, it did not specifically mention remote work.\n\nHowever, Milburn has criticized online recruitment practices, arguing that businesses' reliance on AI in selection processes has contributed to the problem. Remote work has surged during the pandemic, with some firms even allowing staff to work longer hours from home due to heatwaves. Other employers have pushed to bring employees back to offices more frequently.\n\nIn 2023, two Oxford professors warned that AI could potentially replace employees working from home first. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has also criticized remote work, stating that central London risks being \"hollowed out\" due to fewer people entering the office. Milburn is set to complete his report on reducing the number of young people out of employment, education, and training, which currently stands at just under 1 million individuals aged between 16 and 24, following the upcoming Budget.",
  "summary": "Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has said he is against working from home and argued that young people need workplace mentors to develop their careers. On a trip with the Neets tsar Alan Milburn, Southgate hit out at companies’ working from home policies and linked it to the joblessness crisis facing under 25-year-olds. “What [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}