Jobs Market: Wider Economic Implications

Viscount Younger of Leckie Excerpts

Thursday 18th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Sherlock (Lab)]

The noble Earl makes an excellent point. He is a fine ambassador for the creative sectors, for which I commend him. The Government are looking sector by sector at how we can support the development of skills. I am aware that we have had to work quite hard to protect some quite specialist skills, because if we lose them we will not get them back, certainly in the heritage sector. I am happy to look at how our sector work can do that, but what we are trying to do in DWP is to work with a wide range of employers to make sure that we know what they want, what skills they need and how we can support them. One thing that has made the biggest difference—I slightly bang on about it—is my noble friend Lady Smith’s welcome joining up of adult skills and the DWP. That can make a real difference, so I will make sure that we look carefully into that.

[Viscount Younger of Leckie (Con)]

My Lords, I am afraid that I am not yet in the Christmas spirit because, as the Minister herself said, there are huge challenges in the deteriorating jobs market. It is of great concern that jobs in the all-important retail sector have fallen by 74,000, and the chief executive of the BRC has stated that the number of people in work in that sector is at a record low, namely 2.82 million jobs. What are the Government going to do to change the situation, as a matter of urgency, in that sector?