Over the weekend, a shocking statistic has emerged that we simply should not ignore. Over 231,000 men under 30 are now on universal credit (UC) with no requirement to seek work. That is more than a third of all young male claimants. Step back, and the picture is starker: over 600,000 young men are on Universal Credit in total. Across all ages there are more than 3.6 million people signed off in the “no work requirement” category.
It is not right-wing to be concerned. This is not simply a concern about budgets – although we really cannot afford this without dramatically increasing tax revenues from those in work. This is not about “scroungers” or about “cruelty”. It is about the future of our society. What does it say to a generation of young men when the system effectively tells them: we do not expect you ever to work? What happens to their sense of purpose, belonging, dignity?
Yes, many of these exemptions are for good reason. Long-term illness, disability, serious mental health problems. These deserve compassion and support. But the system should not be a cul-de-sac. To be signed off at 22 and left in limbo for decades is not kindness. It is abandonment.
The economic consequences are serious enough. The total universal credit bill is already over £50bn – and rises to £88bn by 2028. A shrinking tax base, spiralling welfare costs and increased pressure on the NHS is the result as inactivity corrodes both body and mind. The social costs are even greater. Communities fray when so many young people are absent from work or training. Families struggle when sons, brothers, fathers feel surplus to requirements.
Let’s be clear: this concern is not “right-wing scaremongering”. It is progressive to want young men to have purpose and humane to believe we must offer more than lifelong inertia.
So what can we do? Ministers cite “tough choices” and “cracking down”, with proposals to delay access to the health element of UC for under-22s, or tighten assessments. There is little vision here. Restriction without opportunity is just punishment. Where are the expanded apprenticeships, youth employment guarantees or targeted mental health interventions before crisis hits? Where are the mentors and skills hubs that could catch young men before they slip away?
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Because people can, and do, come back. I have two friends, who lost their careers slightly later in life and are both plagued by self-doubt. One is now on their second art exhibition; selling paintings for four-figure sums. The second, who once spent years outside work struggling with debilitating illness, has just published a debut novel. These are not exceptions. They are reminders that potential rarely disappears. It waits. It needs belief, support and the chance to grow.
The real tragedy is not the 231,000 signed off today. It is the risk we consign them there for ever. That is not compassion. It is surrender. We must demand better. As the traditional GCSE, A-level, University degree pathway breaks down for ever more young people, we need alternatives: programmes that build skills, not just tick boxes; support that restores confidence, not erodes it. We need a system that says: you still matter, and we expect something of you.
The truth is simple: it is not “right-wing” to sound the alarm. It is actually the only progressive path left.
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