Retailers Launch Opening Shift Scheme to Deliver 100,000 Jobs for Young People

Britain's biggest retailers have joined forces with the Department for Work and Pensions on a new work experience scheme for unemployed young people, as the sector sets a target of 100,000 jobs by the end of this Parliament. The scheme, Opening Shift, was announced on 8 September 2026 and offers 18 to 24 year old NEETs two to four weeks of hands on placements with names including Tesco, John Lewis, Aldi, Boots and Costa Coffee.

More than 40 retailers are already involved, and the British Retail Consortium says over 11,000 placements have been pledged. Participants continue receiving Universal Credit throughout, while the DWP manages referrals through local Jobcentres.

What Opening Shift Actually Offers 18 to 24 Year Olds

Opening Shift targets young people the government classifies as NEET. Applicants must be aged 18 to 24 and claiming Universal Credit. The DWP identifies eligible claimants through Jobcentres and refers them into the voluntary scheme, while retailers provide the placement itself. More than 40 retailers are involved, including Tesco, John Lewis, Waitrose, Currys, Aldi, Amazon, Asda and Boots. The programme was shaped with input from Marc Bolland, the former Marks and Spencer chief executive appointed by government to convene businesses on youth employment, and founder of the charity Movement to Work.

Once referred, a young person is matched with a retailer for two to four weeks at 16 to 35 hours a week. Throughout, they keep receiving Universal Credit and, where needed, help with travel costs, alongside workplace mentoring. At the end, every participant is guaranteed a job interview, which can lead to a permanent role, a place on the retailer's talent bank, or a referral towards an apprenticeship.

Which Retailers Are Going Furthest on Youth Jobs

Pat McFadden marked the launch with a visit to John Lewis's Oxford Street store, meeting young people due to take part. Several retailers have gone beyond the baseline offer.

Why the Government Is Betting on Retail to Tackle the NEET Crisis

Retail has long been an accessible route into work for people with little prior experience, and ministers are leaning on that scale to address a NEET problem an independent review led by Alan Milburn has warned could keep growing. McFadden said work experience "can be life changing, giving young people the skills, confidence and connections they need to take their first step into work," backed by £2.5 billion of government investment. That funding sits within the wider Youth Guarantee, which ministers say will support almost a million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn or learn by 2029, including a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and the separate Jobs Guarantee, which offers a fully funded six month job to 18 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit for 18 months.

The government has not set a fixed delivery timetable for the 100,000 jobs target, describing it instead as an ambition for the end of this Parliament. British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson welcomed the sector's response but called work experience "a first step" rather than a solution on its own, adding that businesses also need the right conditions to create new entry level jobs. Whether Opening Shift dents a NEET total the BRC puts at almost a million will depend on how many placements convert into lasting jobs, not the headline pledge.