Benefits

I was long term unemployed when Labour came to power in 1997.  I had studied computing part time to get a computing qualification as there was said to be a shortage of people with computer skills, but without work experience I couldn't get a job.  Labour's "New Deal" for the long term unemployed helped open a door for me by giving me a work placement, which led to a temporary job, which in turn led to my current permanent job.  The Conservatives scrapped the "New Deal" when they got into power.

It would be good if Labour could do something similar for long term unemployed people now that they are back in office.

I was long term unemployed when Labour came to power in 1997.  I had studied computing part time to get a computing qualification as there was said to be a shortage of people with computer skills, but without work experience I couldn't get a job.  Labour's "New Deal" for the long term unemployed helped open a door for me by giving me a work placement, which led to a temporary job, which in turn led to my current permanent job.  The Conservatives scrapped the "New Deal" when they got into power.

It would be good if Labour could do something similar for long term unemployed people now that they are back in office.

It's wonderful that your work placement led to your current, ongoing role - especially given the extra challenges that gaining and staying in employment can present for us as autistic people.

On the political context, though, it's perhaps worth knowing that long-term unemployment (which you mention) was already falling rapidly under John Major's Conservative government. That fall continued after Labour took power in 1997, but levels then rose again from 2004 onwards (still Labour). Levels then fell again after the Conservatives took office in 2010, falling in 2022-23 to the lowest levels since 1993.

Sorry if this seems to be rubbing salt in after Iain's reply. It just prompted me to do some digging, so I thought I may as well share what I found!

AutToFindOutMore said:

Labour's "New Deal" for the long term unemployed helped open a door for me by giving me a work placement, which led to a temporary job, which in turn led to my current permanent job.  The Conservatives scrapped the "New Deal" when they got into power.

I'm not a Conservative supporter by any means but I note that under Labour, youth unemployment rose steadily over their term in power and then dropped under conservative rule, so maybe the New Deal being scrapped actually helped things.

From https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/GBR/united-kingdom/youth-unemployment-rate

The vertical line shows when Labour lost power.

Pesky things facts.