Next boss warns of 'dramatic' fall in entry-level jobs

The boss of Next has warned there has been a "dramatic fall" in the number of entry-level job opportunities in the UK. Lord Simon Wolfson told the BBC that just two years ago, Next typically received 10 applicants for every job in its shops, but that number had since risen to 19. "That doubling of applicants for shop jobs is indicative of just how big the crisis is in youth unemployment at the moment," he said. He also said changes to employment law coming into force next year would make hiring more difficult, but the government says its changes provide a "baseline" of security and predictability for staff. Conservative peer Lord Wolfson also called on the government to reverse its hike in the rate employers have to pay in National Insurance, along with minimum wage rises. But he said economic growth was the main solution to boosting the jobs market. "Youth unemployment is really a symptom of wider problems with employment in the economy, and of course, if you've got fewer jobs, the people who suffer most are the people with the least experience and that is the youngest," the chief executive said. A Treasury spokesperson said increasing the national minimum wage boosted pay for mor