Cooling UK jobs market a “warning shot” for print, says YPIPP

Print-focused educational organisation, Young People in Print & Packaging (YPIPP), has warned that the UK’s cooling labour market could worsen the print and packaging sector’s long-term skills challenge unless businesses continue to invest in young talent.

The statement from YPIPP follows the release of the UK’s ONS labour market overview report in June 2026, which revealed job vacancies across the UK were at their lowest point since 2021.

While the new report showed headline employment numbers were largely stable, Jo Stephenson, board member of YPIPP, said this masks serious underlying issues that print and packaging businesses must address, saying that “this report should be a warning shot for the industry.”

Stephenson continues: “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.”

According to the ONS report, just over one in five young people who are not in full-time education are economically inactive, the same rate as the last quarter, and the highest rate since quarterly recording of labour market data began in 1992.

The report found that there are 57,000 more unemployed young people this quarter than there were at the same time in 2025.

A cooling labour market means that overall job vacancies have dropped to notably low levels, with market analysts noting that UK employers have become risk-averse, opting for candidates with proven experience over young newcomers.

Speaking about the impact this may have on print and its associated sectors, Stephenson continues: “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 Young People and Work Review in May, which found that over a million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in employment, education, or training.

Stephenson argues that, by focusing on what the review called a “detached generation” of young people, the industry can help solve both its own and the nation’s respective employment crises.

Stephenson says: “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.

Earlier this year, the organisation was part of a cross-association meeting focused on addressing the growing workforce challenges across print and packaging, bringing together trade association leaders from across the UK to drive a more unified approach to talent attraction, development, and retention.

Then known as Young People in Print (YPIP), the ‘& Packaging’ suffix was subsequently added to better represent its commitment to the UK packaging industry.