The Department for Work and Pensions reported on 26 August 2026 that the first young people supported by the Government's Jobs Guarantee had started their jobs, including positions at retailer Boots. The scheme is open to 18–24-year-olds who have been claiming Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months, and it fully funds up to 25 hours of paid work per week for six months.

The department said the programme is intended to support more than 90,000 young people into work over three years, with over 90,000 fully funded jobs planned by 2029 as part of a £2.5 billion youth employment investment. It has been rolled out in Birmingham and Solihull, the East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire and Essex, Central and East Scotland, South East and South West Wales; the release said it would be expanded later in 2026 to all eligible 18–24-year-olds on Universal Credit who had been job-hunting for 18 months. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden visited Boots to meet participants in administrative, retail and warehouse support roles.