The UK’s cooling labour market could worsen the print sector’s long-term skills challenge unless businesses continue to invest in young talent, according to an industry body.
Young People in Print & Packaging (YPIPP) has warned against “short-term caution” in recruitment, especially jobs for young people, because it could have a long-term negative effect on the industry.
YPIPP’s intervention follows the release of the latest market overview report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) which revealed job vacancies across the UK were at their lowest point since 2021.
While the report showed headline employment numbers were largely stable, YPIPP board member Jo Stephenson said this masked serious underlying issues that print and packaging businesses must address.
“This report should be a warning shot for the industry,” she said. “It shows job vacancies are falling, with manufacturing businesses and SMEs showing the sharpest falls.
“At the same time, our industry continues to face an ageing skills pipeline. We are shutting the door on the next generation of talent at the exact moment when we should be welcoming them through it.
“Our industry depends on highly specialised knowledge that builds up over the years. In the current economic climate, it’s understandable to be cautious when recruiting. But too much short-term caution risks creating long-term gaps in skills and innovation, and that will have a far bigger negative effect on the industry at large.”
The ONS report is the first since the release of the government’s landmark Young People and Work Review, which found that around a million people aged 16 to 24 were not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Jo said that, by focusing on what this review called a “lost generation” of young people, the industry could help solve both its own and the nation’s respective employment crises.
“We see first-hand through our work with schools, colleges and universities that young people are ambitious, capable and interested in meaningful careers. There is no shortage of appetite; there’s a shortage of opportunity.
“The silver lining is that the print and packaging sector can show the leadership that other industries might not.
“We’re a modern industry that offers careers in automation, AI, robotics, materials science, sustainability, circularity, brand experience and data-led production.
“We need to be bold, start telling that vibrant story more broadly, and reach out to engage young people by offering them the opportunities they need.”
YPIPP works to connect young people with careers in the print and packaging industries through education outreach, industry engagement, work experience and awareness-building activities.
