There’s something that you get used to when you work from when you stop school , after graduating from college. That something is called work.

I know a few kids in work- by kids I mean men and women who are under 25 and the ones I know who are working know exactly what’s coming out of their pay and why. My impression is that more kids are aware that they’re getting money into  their workplace pension. If they don’t get one, they don’t get an icon on their phone that tells them how their pot is growing.  (When they get a CDC pension, as I hope they will in years to come, they won’t see their pension as a pot of money but as an increasing pension paying to their future wife).

Most kids when they are starting out in work are more free to put money by than other times in their careers.

All this they will get because they got work. And if a young person doesn’t work…?

Kids I know who do not work are either relying on their parents or turning to crime. Not necessarily violent crime, not necessarily fraud, it can be little more than selling drugs or dubious practice outside the reach of tax , national insurance or the knowledge of social security.

Which is why I’m glad to hear the Secretary to the Department of Work and Pensions (note the bracketing) tell the FT.

McFadden said the government had already given local mayors  flexibility on how they engaged with young people, and would look to go further.

And Burnham has made it quite clear where the priority will be

Burnham has framed welfare reform as a drive to help young people into jobs — which will pay off for the exchequer in the long term — rather than an upfront clampdown on benefits. He argues that more people can be helped back to work by handing power over employment support to regional mayors.

“In doing that, we will reduce the welfare bill in a way that is fair and lasting and helps people move forward,” he said in a speech on Monday.

It would be stupid to think that Britain’s pension problems are solved by getting kids back to work, but I think we should acknowledge that working is not doing your chances of getting a proper workplace pension.

Your pension when you start will not be its highest but if you’re starting out, your money has the time to grow. Getting money into workplace pensions happens automatically to everyone who is 22 or above, If you are below 22 but 16 or above you can choose to opt in.

 Staff who aren’t eligible for automatic enrolment have a right to opt in to their employer’s pension scheme. Staff who opt in are entitled to contribution into the pension scheme from their employer.

“Why not take advantage of the years when you are young”

I told my son, even when he was working for me. Fat lot of good it did. I do think that if you are old enough to work and get paid enough for auto-enrolment into a workplace pension, you should join a pension and get contributions as you opted in.

We should not get all worried about vulnerability. We should do what we can to make it clear that work is good, workplace pensions are good and being young is very good indeed!