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Work and pensions secretary will use speech to thinktank in Spain to say of school-leavers: ‘We need businesses to give them a chance’ The work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, will appeal to businesses to recruit young and unemployed British people ahead of “labour from abroad”. Duncan Smith will use a speech to a thinktank in Spain to say of school-leavers: “We need businesses to give them a chance”, and appeal for industry to assist the government in giving Britons jobs. While stressing that immigration plays a vital role in British society, he will argue that many immigrants end up doing jobs that could easily be done by British citizens. Official figures unearthed by the Labour MP Frank Field show that 87% of the 400,000 jobs created over the first year of the coalition government went to workers from abroad. “We have to ensure that our immigration system works in the interests of Britain, enabling us to make a realistic promise to our young school-leavers,” he will say in his speech to the Foundation for Analysis and Social Studies thinktank in Madrid. “It is part of our contract with the British people.” Extracts released in advance show Duncan Smith will insist that the government is “reforming welfare to make work pay, and to help people back to work … and we are toughening sanctions against those who refuse to take jobs when they are available”. He will add: “But we also need an immigration system that gives the unemployed a level playing field. “If we do not get this right, then we risk leaving more British citizens out of work, and the most vulnerable group, who will be the most affected, are young people.” Gordon Brown was criticised after his 2007 pledge to provide “British jobs for British workers” was followed by figures which showed that around 80% of jobs created during Labour’s time in power went to migrants. Duncan Smith will say that controlling immigration is “critical” to avoid “losing another generation to dependency and hopelessness”, but will appeal for help in ensuring that British citizens are awarded jobs. “Government cannot do it all,” he will say. “As we work hard to break welfare dependency and get young people ready for the labour market, we need businesses to give them a chance and not just fall back on labour from abroad. “If government and business pull together on this, I believe we can finally start to give our young people a chance. A chance to experience the benefits of work that so many of the rest of us take for granted. A chance to become productive members of our society. And a chance of a better future.” Iain Duncan Smith Liberal-Conservative coalition Unemployment Young people Immigration and asylum Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk