The government is to offer employers financial incentives to employ young people from disadvantaged groups, such as care leavers and young carers.

Angela Constance, the youth employment minister, said: “We will have a particular focus on helping hard-to-reach groups, as well as supporting those who are closest to the job market and will benefit from simple measures to help them into employment.”

Key points of the draft youth employment strategy are:

- the development of a cohesive all-government, all-Scotland effort to increase youth employment;

- a clear and targeted approach to support young people at different points on the journey to employment;

- the development of progression opportunities with the apprenticeship programme;

- targeted support in growth areas such as energy and the low carbon economy;

- intensive support for those furthest from the labour market through “My Work Coach”, under development by Skills Development Scotland;

- specific financial support for employers to take on young people from disadvantaged groups;

- intensive support services for disengaged young people.

Labour’s shadow youth employment minister, Kezia Dugdale, said there were some “good ideas” in the strategy, but Scotland’s young people would not be impressed by “promises of jam tomorrow - they want a paid job today”.