Young people aged 18 to 24 who have never worked for six months continuously would receive a benefit worth 70% of their previous claim under Conservative Party proposals announced on 1 October, ahead of the party's conference this weekend.

The 'Get to Work' scheme targets a UK Neet population of almost one million people aged 16 to 24 who are not in education, employment or training. Under the plan, applicants for Universal Credit without a continuous work history of at least six months at 16 hours per week or more would instead join a six-month programme requiring daily attendance at a job centre, work experience or work readiness courses.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said the measures were designed to "show some tough love" to reduce Neet numbers. "Too many young people are leaving school and signing straight onto benefits – this is a waste of their potential and a disaster for our economy," she said.

What would the scheme require?

Participants would receive a Get to Work allowance paid at the same rate as Universal Credit, but with stricter conditions attached:

• Daily attendance at a job centre, work experience or work readiness courses
• An assigned manager overseeing each participant
• Mandatory job search workshops and interview preparation sessions

The programme would run for six months, or less if the participant finds a job. Those still unemployed after half a year on the scheme would face a 30% cut to their benefit.

Exemptions would apply to young people who have previously worked for six months, have health issues or carry care responsibilities. The party also said it would examine whether parents' earnings and savings should factor into welfare payments for their children.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch framed the proposals in terms of fairness. "It's unfair to the people who get up and go to work, having others earn more than them for not working," she told The Spectator. "Even families on benefits know that the system is out of control. But no one wants to be the one to get off the treadmill first. We need to force that. Government has to do that."

How have charities and Labour responded?

Charities criticised the plan. Sara Ogilvie, director of policy at the Child Poverty Action Group, said: "Much better training and employment support is needed, but blocking access to Universal Credit would not remove young people from jeopardy, it would dig the most disadvantaged deeper into hardship."

Anti-poverty charity Trussell warned that people on Universal Credit already cannot afford basic essentials, which harms their ability to find and keep work.

The Conservatives claim their rules would be stricter than current Universal Credit requirements, under which claimants sign a "claimant commitment" to prepare for and look for work, or to increase earnings if already working.

What does this mean for employers?

The proposals land amid a wider political focus on youth employment. At Labour's conference earlier this week, chancellor John Healey told delegates: "The best thing we can offer a young person is not a benefit payment – it's a first job with training and a wage."

Healey said cutting welfare spending was a priority and announced that every mayor in England would gain access to a local apprenticeships service from March 2027, intended to generate thousands more youth opportunities.

On Thursday, the Department for Work and Pensions said every small and medium-sized business hiring a young apprentice would receive £2,000 from the government under a new scheme backed by the Federation of Small Businesses.

For HR teams, the direction of travel across both parties points toward stronger incentives and pressure to hire young workers without work history. Employers recruiting from the Neet population may see expanded apprentice funding, while any future Get to Work-style scheme would channel a cohort of conditionally supported young jobseekers into the labour market. Whether the Conservative proposals survive contact with an election remains to be seen.