Amazon UK boss calls for mandatory work experience for 16-year-olds

Amazon’s UK country manager, John Boumphrey, argued that the education system is not necessarily producing young people who are ready for work and said too much of the blame for unemployment falls on the young themselves. His call for mandatory work experience from age 16 puts the spotlight on a bigger question: whether employers who complain about work readiness are doing enough to create apprenticeships, entry-level jobs and structured training.

Boumphrey said he does not see a lack of motivation or resilience among the young people Amazon works with, including those furthest from work. He described work experience as the most transformative thing he has seen for people entering the workforce, and said it should be made compulsory for everyone aged 16 and over. The argument lands at a time when the latest labour market data show a stubborn problem for young adults.

Office for National Statistics figures for October to December 2025 showed 957,000 people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training, equal to 12.8% of that age group. House of Commons Library figures for January to March 2026 showed 729,000 young people aged 16 to 24 were unemployed, 110,000 more than a year earlier. The youth unemployment rate rose to 16.2% from 14.2% a year earlier, underscoring how far many young people still are from stable work.

Amazon is hardly absent from the labour market. The company said it already employs more than 75,000 people across more than 100 UK sites, with roles at different levels in every region of the country. In June 2025 it unveiled a £40 billion UK investment plan for 2025-2027 that included 1,000 new full-time apprenticeship roles and four new fulfilment centres. Its apprenticeship programmes for students aged 16 to 18 include on-the-job coaching and specialist partner training.

That matters because the debate over youth unemployment is not just about whether schools teach employability well enough. It is also about whether firms provide the first rung on the ladder, or simply demand finished candidates. Boumphrey’s comments suggest Amazon believes work exposure changes outcomes fast. The broader test is whether more employers will match that rhetoric with places, pay and training for 16-year-olds who need a start, not just a standard they have not yet been given the chance to meet.