Boosting productivity is going to be critical in the coming months and years as Britain looks to haul itself out of an economic slump.

The reality is that productivity has been a long standing issue for the economy, even when the economic picture looked a lot brighter.

And Yorkshire will have the steepest declines in productivity this year out of anywhere in the country, according to the latest regional economic forecast from professional services firm EY.

Added to that is tightness in the labour market that has seen thousands of older people deciding to take early retirement in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak poses for a photograph alongside Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, centre right. PIC: STEFAN ROUSSEAU/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

More than half of the 21 council areas in Yorkshire have seen a rise in the number of people who are economically inactive since the pandemic, new analysis from the Labour Party shows.

But it isn’t just about getting people into jobs. The Chancellor needs to deliver an economic plan that creates quality jobs across the country. That is why this newspaper has been so vociferous about the need to genuinely level up.

It’s not just about trying to entice older people back to work. The country faces a generational reckoning. The Government needs to bet on young people by helping create opportunities for them.

An easy way to do that would be apprenticeships. Businesses, especially smaller firms, are reluctant to take on apprentices due to the bureaucracy involved.

By cutting red tape around apprenticeships, it would enable businesses to get on with their job and also enable young people to get on with learning the job.

The Government needs to back region’s young people in labour market - The YP says