Marks & Spencer has urged the government to work more closely with businesses to help get more young people into work, despite new research revealing that retail is helping more young people into work than any other sector.

The research was carried out on behalf of Marks & Spencer by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), revealing one in four young people, defined as aged between 16-24, are choosing to begin their careers in retail – more than double the total in any other industry.

The retailer believes that Employer NICs relief for businesses that employ the long-term unemployed or young people struggling to find work will unlock significant opportunities with The Jobs Foundation, suggesting the move could create over 100,000 jobs.

M&S also wants the government to deliver on its promise of Apprenticeship Levy reform so that more of the funds paid by businesses can be used to offer opportunities.

Marks & Spencer CEO, Stuart Machin, said: “As one of the UK’s biggest retail employers, we have already supported more than 12,000 young people through Marks & Start and we’re committed to doing our bit to get more young people into work. But we can’t do it alone – businesses need more support from the government to unlock more opportunities for young people.

“Retail is a dynamic, fast-moving industry where no two days are the same. From working in stores or supply chain to food, fashion or finance and everything in between, it can open up so many opportunities.
“This is an industry that can give you responsibility from a young age and if you’re willing to work hard, you will go far no matter what your background.”

Launched over two decades ago in partnership with The King’s Trust, the Marks & Start scheme – which offers a four-week work experience placement at M&S – helps those facing barriers to employment gain a first step on the career ladder to build employability skills and boost their confidence.

M&S is committed to support a further 2,000 young people in the next three years. Meanwhile, the number of candidates that completed its Marks & Start employability programme (91%) and those offered a permanent paid job (88%) reached a five-year record high in this year.

Additional data reveals that mental health is now one of the biggest barriers for young people getting into work, with 28% admitting it has stopped them from taking the first step to apply for jobs.

As such, M&S has utilised its partnership with mental health charity YoungMinds to review and further develop the Marks & Start training materials to better support young people who join the programme with  mental health issues, ensuring they have the wraparound care from M&S in place.

Since launching the partnership two years ago, M&S has raised over £4.4 million, supporting over six million young people.

This month, M&S has also partnered with careers podcast My Duvet Flip, which has a reach of over 1.8 million, to showcase stories and experiences of six young people who started their careers at M&S, giving young people “real role models”.

Machin added: “Retail is a powerful engine of social mobility. At a time when so many young people are struggling to get their foot on the career ladder, this industry can give them that first crucial opportunity – particularly those facing the biggest barriers.”

The research also revealed that there are currently 948,000 young people not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET), having reached the highest level in a decade in December 2024.

There are also 650,000 fewer 16-24-year-olds in employment compared to three decades ago, while long-term sickness – particularly growing mental health challenges – has driven 300,000 16–24-year-olds into economic inactivity since 2019, a 55% increase on pre-pandemic levels and the highest of any age group.