Thames Water to host careers day for refugees amid Britain’s youth unemployment crisis
Thames Water has come under fire after organising a careers event exclusively for refugees amid growing concerns over youth unemployment in Britain.
The utility company is hosting a "Refugee Insight Day" at its Reading headquarters on Friday, offering attendees an introduction to different areas of the business alongside networking opportunities with recruitment teams.
Reform UK's Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf launched a scathing attack on the initiative on Wednesday.
He told the Daily Mail: "While Britain is sleepwalking into a youth unemployment crisis, with nearly one in five young people on track to be without work, Thames Water has decided to offer career opportunities exclusively to refugees."
The event comes as the number of young Britain's not in education, employment or training (NEET) hit a record post-pandemic high of more than one million, according to ONS figures.
Mr Yusuf continued his attack, saying: "As a generation of young Britons struggles to get a foot on the ladder, British workers are being pushed to the back of the queue and denied opportunities in their own country.
"Young Brits should be first in line for jobs, training and opportunities in their own country.
"Only Reform UK will put British workers first and give young people the future they deserve."
Thames Water defended the event, pointing to its apprenticeship programme, where 85 per cent of those recruited for 2026 are aged under 24.
A company spokesman told the Daily Mail: "This event is just one of the ways we are creating careers and building a skilled workforce for the future of the water sector.
"We have targeted outreach and engagement programmes for underrepresented and disadvantaged communities, including NEETs, prison leavers, those experiencing homelessness and care leavers.
"We are committed to improving workforce diversity, so it reflects the communities we serve, and we are strengthening skills pipelines through local communities and the education sector to create long-term employment and learning opportunities."
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The controversy comes after a report by Labour's job tsar, Alan Milburn, warned that the growing number of young people not in education, employment or training represented a "moral crisis" for Britain.
Research by Centre for Social Justice found employers have hired 27 young workers from outside the EU for every British youngster employed since January 2020.
HMRC figures show employment among non-EU nationals aged under 25 has increased by 289,400 since January 2020, compared with a rise of just 10,800 among young British workers.
The think tank said entry-level jobs traditionally filled by young Britons are increasingly being taken by migrant workers.
Joe Shalam, policy director at the Centre for Social Justice, said: "Starter roles are simply vanishing across the jobs market, made worse of course by rising costs for employers.
"Protecting Britain from under-cut labour is an essential first step to improving the pay, conditions and training opportunities for British young people."
Mr Milburn also criticised employers for relying on overseas recruitment rather than investing in domestic talent.
He said businesses had "been on easy street because they have been able to import migrant labour" instead of training homegrown workers.
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