Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to reduce youth unemployment in the context of recent job losses in the hospitality sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality sector in providing employment for young people. The Budget made more than £1.5bn available over the next three years for investment in employment and skills support. This funds £820m for the Youth Guarantee and provides £725m for the Growth and Skills Levy, ensuring young people have the support they need to earn or learn.
We are supporting more than 50,000 young people into apprenticeships in England by fully funding apprenticeship training costs for all eligible 16–24-year-olds, removing the need for non-levy paying employers to co-fund these learners. We are also expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors such as hospitality and retail, where young people are traditionally recruited. All these measures will be available to assist the hospitality sector in employing young people.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with gig economy operators on ensuring consumer safety from people working illegally.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, the Home Office is closing an existing gap to make it a legal requirement for all businesses in the UK, including those in the gig economy, to prevent illegal working by checking anyone working for them has the right to do so. Tackling illegal working in the gig economy, as led by the Home Office, enhances public safety and reduces the opportunities for exploitation.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what was the change in the number of jobs in the retail industry between 2023-2024 and 2024-2025; and what assessment he has made of the reasons for the change.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
According to ONS data, between 2023-24 and 2024-25, retail employment fell by around 94,800 jobs (-3.3%), from 2.9 million to 2.8 million [1]. This continues a longer-term downward trend in retail employment seen since 2016.
The decline reflects structural shifts (e.g. e-commerce, automation), macroeconomic pressures (e.g. inflation, interest rates), and workforce challenges. In response, DBT is supporting retail transformation through business rates reform, the Help to Grow scheme, and the recently announced Small Business Plan, which aims to tackle late payments, boost access to finance, and remove red tape to help small businesses, including retailers, grow and thrive.
[1] Not seasonally adjusted and were averaged to produce annualised estimates. Self-employment figures are derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) JOBS04 tables. LFS has known limitations, including sampling variability and response rate challenges, which may affect precision. Estimates for March 2025 are provisional and subject to revision. Retail is defined as SIC 47 – “Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles”.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support hospitality businesses that are (a) reducing their workforce and (b) operating at reduced capacity due to cost pressures.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the vital role hospitality businesses play in local economies and communities. We also recognise the pressures they face.
That's why creating a fairer business rates system, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties under £500,000 and protecting the smallest businesses by increasing the Employment Allowance to £10,500, so that 865,000 employers will pay no NICs at all and can hire up to four full-time workers on the National Living Wage without incurring employer NIC costs.
We also work closely with the Hospitality Sector Council to improve the productivity and resilience of hospitality businesses by co-creating solutions to the issues including cost and employment pressures.