On paper, the Government's proposal to reduce National Insurance costs for younger workers sounds like the sort of policy that should help tackle youth unemployment.

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Make younger employees cheaper to hire and employers will create more opportunities. Simple, right?

Sadly, that's not the case. It smacks of a policy designed by people who have never run a business or employed people themselves. A few hundred pounds knocked off an NI bill is not enough to convince SMEs like mine that taking on an unproven young person is a risk worth taking. The real issue is employer fears about the latest round of employment laws.

As someone who employs around 50 people in the North East, a region that continues to struggle with some of the highest levels of unemployment and youth unemployment in the country, I can say with confidence that National Insurance is not what keeps most employers awake at night when considering new hires.

Over the past few years, employing people has become an increasingly complicated and........

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