Next boss says 'dramatic' fall in entry-level roles could cause job market chaos Lord Wolfson says fall highlights 'the crisis is in youth unemployment at the moment'

Date:
Tue, 26 May 2026 10:35:00 +0000

Description:
Next CEO criticizes government policies for making it costlier to employ entry-level workers, while retail stores employ more automation.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Next CEO Lord Simon Wolfson warns of a "dramatic fall" in entry-level jobs due to government policies Minimum wage and NI contributions are up, with zero-hour contracts set to be banned Physical stores are employing more automation to reduce costlier workers Lord Simon Wolfson, CEO of retail giant Next, has warned UK
government policies could cause a "dramatic fall" in entry-level job opportunities, leading to major youth unemployment in the UK and globally.

Wolfson quantified this statement by revealing that the company now received an average of 19 applications per every single shop floor vacancy, up from 10 just two years ago, demonstrating a growing appetite for entry-level roles. Rising costs and taxes are also to blame for the trend, with rent increases putting extra strain on companies and hikes to the national minimum wage and employer National Insurance contributions also adding to the cost. Latest Videos From You may like MIT AI expert warns against automating Gen Z entry-level jobs Report warns younger workers set to be hit by AI hiring Gen
Z workers are apparently deliberately sabotaging AI rollouts at work Youth unemployment is on the rise, again The CEO said that rising costs, fuelled partly by government policies, has introduced a new "tax on entry-level employment" whereby the cheapest workers are no longer so cheap. A looming
ban on zero-hour contracts only serves to increase costs further, but the government believes this "one-sided flexibility" provides no security to staff.

"That doubling of applicants for shop jobs is indicative of just how big the crisis is in youth unemployment at the moment," Wolfson said in an interview with the BBC .

However, no- and low-hour contracts serve an important role in the retail sector specifically, aiding staffing during busy holiday periods like Christmas. Wolfson worries that the ban could make offering jobs to students and seasonal workers more restricted.

"Lord Wolfson, who earned more than 7m last year, will understand just how important our measures to make work pay are for the financial and job
security of working people," a Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

However, the implications of cutting entry-level workers are far-felt. "The people who suffer most are the people with the least experience and that is the youngest," Wolfson said, noting that the company has employed more automation in stores to reduce its reliance on costlier human workers.

Next share prices have fallen since the start of the year, down 2.59% this year to date. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred
source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/next-boss-says-dramatic-fall-in-entry-level-role s-could-cause-job-market-chaos-lord-wolfson-says-fall-highlights-the-crisis-is -in-youth-unemployment-at-the-moment


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)