Younger workers will be protected from employers flouting the rules on the use of exploitative unpaid internships.
The government has launched its call for evidence on the issue. This forms part of the Make Work Pay agenda.
Internships offer young people invaluable experience as they build their careers. When these are unpaid or paid below the National Minimum Wage, barriers to equal opportunity are created based on where people live, how old they are, or their social background.
Unpaid internships are already largely banned under current law, when they are not part of an educational or training course. The government is committed to strengthening these protections by gathering more evidence on how unpaid internships affect young people, and how businesses use them to assess candidates.
Employment Rights Minister Justin Madders said:
Internships provide a strong platform from which to build a career, allowing young people to learn new skills and giving employers a pipeline of future talent to hire from to grow their business.
Employers should not be taking advantage of the opportunities on offer by not paying their interns. This move will help us crack down on those not following the rules, so that the next generation of interns are able to gain that crucial experience whilst earning a fair wage.
Nick Harrison, CEO of the Sutton Trust, said:
Taking action on internships with low or no pay is absolutely the right thing to do. We’ve found that 61% of internships undertaken by recent graduates were ‘unpaid or underpaid’, effectively excluding those who can’t rely on financial support from family.
Employers will benefit from the wider pool of talent available to them, and three quarters of employers told us a ban wouldn’t impact the number of opportunities they provide.
The Call for Evidence will run for 12 weeks, closing on 9 October 2025.
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