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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Phillip Inman

UK companies struggling to hire young people amid cost pressures, MPs told

Shop assistant at checkout in Asda store
A survey by the Federation of Small Businesses found 26% of firms were employing fewer workers toward the end of last year than in the previous quarter. Photograph: Simon Rawles/Alamy

British companies are struggling to afford to hire young people after a long period of rising costs that have hit profit margins and derailed recruitment plans, business leaders say.

Rising labour costs including increases to the minimum wage and employer’s national insurance by the government have put young people at the back of the queue when employers consider recruitment, business lobby groups told MPs.

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