Council leaders have called for the radical reform of careers and skills services, after new research shows 12 million people will be unemployed or in jobs they are over-qualified for by 2024.

The report from the British Chambers of Commerce found skills shortages are reaching critical levels.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said the report highlights the number of people who risk being stuck in low paid, insecure work, or those who have skills mismatched for jobs.

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, chairman of the LGA’s People and Places Board, said: ‘The current system for getting the unemployed into work and increasing their skills levels is not working for the economy, for employers or individuals. This has to change for the future economic prosperity of this country.

‘Devolving all back-to-work, skills, apprenticeship, careers advice, and business support schemes and funding to the local areas in which they are used will allow better coordination of services to help people get the skills they need to progress in work, and supply businesses with the right skills at the right time to help local economies grow.’