Work on and live with purpose

a post on The Work Foundation’s blog by Jilly Forster

The good news – we’re living longer. The challenge – we haven’t updated the way we think about our working careers and ‘retirement’. You simply can’t finance a 30 year retirement with a 40 year working life. But that’s what it seems we’re trying to do! It’s time to redesign the approach to retirement.

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So how much has employment really grown since 2010?

via The Work Foundation blog by Ian Brinkley

In an article in the Independent published today (Monday 12 Jan 2015), Professor Danny Blanchflower takes the Conservative Party to task for publishing what Professor Blanchflower believes to be inaccurate claims about job creation under the Coalition government. As with all these things, it depends a bit on where you start and what measure you select.

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Pay, Progression and Productivity: A change of business for a Better Off Britain

a post by Ian Brinkley published in The Work Foundation blog

The recent CBI report A Better off Britain has grabbed the headlines with calls for tax cuts for the low paid and more free child care and for ways to be found to increase pay on a sustainable basis. That would be news in itself - employer organisations are not known for embracing policies more associated with centre - left political parties and trade unions. But the report itself is a remarkable piece of work both in terms of language and the recommendations.

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A Better off Britain (PDF 109pp with lots of colour and pictures)

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Underemployment and the productivity paradox

via The Work Foundation by Ian Brinkley

The new blog from Danny Blanchflower is a timely reminder that the unemployment numbers do not tell the full story when it comes to measuring labour supply and demand.

Together with Jonathon Portes, Professor Blanchflower has estimated the number of hours that people would like to work and the number of hours that employers are willing to pay for. This shows that there is much more “slack” in the labour market than the unemployment rate indicates.

Continue reading includes links to lots of useful information

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Keep taking the pills: your job may depend on it [feedly]

via The Work Foundation blog by Anjana Ahuja

Don’t you wish you could do your job just that little bit better? If you’re on a physically demanding assembly line, maybe you wish you could stand for longer without tiring. If you’re a currency trader, perhaps you dream of the fortune you could make if your reactions were sharper.

Astonishingly, the technology already exists to make both of those wishes come true. Companies are building exoskeleton suits that could allow soldiers to operate with heavy loads on the battlefield. And drugs are already used widely, if under the radar: Ritalin to boost short-term memory, and modafinil by sleep-deprived doctors and students to improve alertness. Human enhancement is here, and it has the potential to revolutionise both the workplace and the workers who occupy it. That makes it a fantastic, if faintly scary, subject for the Work Foundation to have chosen for its annual debate this year.

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Where will all the new jobs come from after the 'Great Reset'?

via The Work Founation News by Will Hutton

So what will happen after economic 'recovery' when it finally does arrive and which will be the areas that will create new human job opportunities as machines take over more and more traditional areas of work?

Full text of blog post

Hazel’s comment:
So, where are the jobs going to come from?

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Cancer and the new Health and Work Assessment and Advisory Service

via The Work Foundation News by Jenny Gulliford

Returning to work can be a positive part of the recovery process for people with cancer, bringing with it physical, mental and social benefits. Working can not only provide economic security, but can help people enjoy society more fully. However, whilst evidence shows that the majority of cancer survivors return to work after treatment, job retention rates are much lower than the general population, with many people with cancer struggling to remain in the workplace.

As a result of the Equalities Act 2010 it is an employer’s responsibility to help an employee recovering from cancer remain at work, supporting them and making any reasonable adjustments to the workplace they might need. However, many employers do not have access to the high quality occupational health advice they need to provide this support.

A new government service may be about to change this.

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Seeking an end to discrimination for working parents

via The Work Founation News by Karen Steadman

Reports over the weekend about the extent of discrimination facing women who return to work after taking maternity leave, highlight a continuing issue in the UK both in terms of equality and the economy.

Results from a poll of a thousand working women across the UK indicated that one in seven had lost their job while on maternity leave. Forty per cent reported that their jobs had changed by the time they returned, with half reporting a cut in hours or demotion. More than a tenth had been replaced in their jobs by the person who had covered their maternity leave.

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Why is the Work Programme failing?

via The Work Foundation News by Daniel Wainwright

The Work Programme is failing everyone. But it’s the most vulnerable that are being hit the hardest.

The report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found that none of the providers contracted to deliver the government’s Work Programme have hit their target. In fact, fewer people moved into sustained work as a result of the programme than would have done if there had been no intervention at all.

It’s clear that the programme faces huge problems. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has blamed the providers, and some may stand to lose their contracts for poor performance.

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Hazel’s comment:
There has, not surprisingly, been a lot of comment on the latest pronouncement from the Public Accounts Committee. This, I thought, was one of the least contentious whilst still providing the range of information.

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Census 2011: Skills are moving south

via The Work Foundation News by Dr Neil Lee

The geography of highly skilled workers matters.

Better qualified people tend to earn more, so the geography of skilled workers is one of the main drivers of regional disparities.

Other workers gain too, as workers in cities with more skilled residents generally earn higher wages.

Continue reading [and looking at the wonderful graph which highlights the issues for me]

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Here’s looking at you, kids: An international perspective on youth unemployment

via The Work Founation News by Dan Wainwright

Europe is facing a crisis of youth unemployment according to Mr. Stefano Scarpetta, Deputy Director of Employment, Labour, and Social Affairs at the OECD, at a recent conference organised by The Work Foundation.

Despite some recent progress, youth unemployment is too high and falling too slowly. Given the well-documented costs (Youth unemployment: the crisis we cannot afford from the ACEVO Commission on Youth Unemployment (PDF 128pp)) to the individual (wage scarring, welfare dependency, mental and physical health) and to society (wasted potential, lower productivity, public finance drain), it’s not surprising that supporting unemployed young people into work is a priority for governments across Europe.

A new report from The Work Foundation, International Lessons: Youth unemployment in the global context (PDF 52pp) draws on in depth case-studies of four countries to suggest what a robust policy response could look like in the UK.

Germany, which has the lowest youth unemployment rate across Europe (it has actually fallen since the start of the recession), has put apprenticeships front and centre. Their highly successful dual apprenticeship system provides high quality training, excellent corporate links and recognised, well-regarded qualifications, and is an excellent model of how to provide young people with the skills they need in the labour market.

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Season’s Greetings for the unemployment figures

via The Work Founation News by Andrew Sissons

It’s Christmas time – and it turns out that the season has a big effect on today’s labour market statistics, but probably not in the way you expect.

Today’s headline number shows unemployment falling by 82,000 in 3 months, which looks like great news. But it isn’t all it seems. In fact, if you take away the seasonal adjustment factor that the ONS applies to its statistics, unemployment is much higher now than it was earlier this year.

Continue reading to get a useful explanation of seasonally adjusted figures.

With apologies – this got hidden in my drafts folder for some inexplicable reason!

The labour market in 2012

via The Work Founation News by Dr Neil Lee

On the face of it, the labour market has been performing well. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is now four percent lower than at the start of 2008. But despite this massive economic shock, there are actually more people in employment now than when the crisis began. On the face of it, it looks like the labour market has done well in 2012. Yet dig beneath the employment figures, and the labour market in 2013 faces some tough challenges.

The increase in employment hides some troubling trends which look likely to continue into 2013. First, many of the new jobs aren't full time, with full time employment actually decreasing by 706,000 since 2008. Instead, we've seen growth in part-time employees (around 310,000) many of whom are seeking full-time work. The TUC estimates that 1.4 million people are now 'underemployed' – in employment, but wanting to work more hours. Self-employment has also increased by almost 400,000. Many who choose self-employment are happy to do so, however, for many others it may mean eking out a living while unable to find full-time work.

Second, youth unemployment – in particular long-term youth unemployment – remains one of the most important societal problems facing the UK. Youth unemployment is important as it can have 'scarring effects' – the longer young people are out of work, the lower their wages can be – an effect which lasts until middle age.

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Lack of affordable transport limits young people’s access to employment, education and training

via The Work Founation News by Anna Kharbanda

Rising transport costs are making it difficult for thousands of young people to participate in education and training, leaving many unable to enter or stay in work, according to a new report from The Work Foundation.

This is particularly the case for young people living in rural areas who find it harder to stay in work due to inadequate public transport routes from their homes.

The report, published today (14 December 2012), calls on the government to implement policies that will reduce the transport barriers which exacerbate the youth unemployment crisis.

Figures show that transport costs have made it difficult for one in five young people to participate in education and training, with many unable to gain or maintain employment.

The situation is even worse for young people living in rural areas who face further obstacles to finding jobs close enough for an affordable or accessible commute.

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Onwards and upwards? Young people and the labour market

via UK Commission for Employment and Skills by Paul Sissons (The Work Foundation)

The latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics suggest a fall of 62,000 in the number of young people who are unemployed. This is good news, although with some 957,000 still looking for work there remains a long way to go.

As is now widely understood, the youth unemployment problem is not solely a recession-related phenomenon. The situation for young people in the labour market started to deteriorate in the early to mid 2000s. That youth unemployment is not just a recession induced problem has allowed for a wider debate about the nature of the school to work transition, and how young people move from education into the labour market. It is increasingly acknowledged that the system needs to function better for those not going down a traditional academic route.

The process of transition from education to employment has become increasingly complex for young people, as traditional routes into the workplace have broken down. Back in the 1980s around a quarter of young people worked in the manufacturing sector, it’s now less than one in 10. More young people now struggle to get an initial foothold in the labour market, even before the recession almost half of young people who were not in employment, education or training (NEET) had never had a sustained job.

UKCES’ own research has shown that employer recruitment patterns can also disadvantage young people. Encouraging employers to recruit more young people is clearly a fundamental part of the solution. Employers can also help by providing more pre-employment opportunities, for example through work experience, which can help young people to develop the important soft skills and workplace experiences which will help them to access jobs further down the line.

We also need to think about the experiences of young people once they get into employment, in particular about sustainability of jobs and opportunities for progression. Limited opportunity for progression is a problem for low-wage workers more generally. It is also a problem that disproportionately impacts on young people, who are most likely to enter sectors which pay comparatively low wages and which have poorer rates of wage progression.

In order for young people to progress, employers need to invest in skills, for example through workplace learning or apprenticeships. But they also need to think about progression routes for young people once they get into work. This could be through internal labour markets and progression within a firm, or through developing local or sectoral “career ladder” programmes to help young people move forward. Policymakers can also support this progression by ensuring that young people in workplaces with poorer prospects have access to good quality careers guidance throughout their careers to enable them to successfully navigate change and to increase wages by moving jobs.

It is by bringing together skills development with changes in the labour market that we are best able to develop and utilise the talents of young people. Getting more young people into work is a great start, but it’s not job done.

More @ www.theworkfoundation.com and www.ukces.org.uk/ourwork/youthemployment

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Government is flying blind on the impact of public sector workforce cuts on the labour market

via The Work Foundation News by Tom Phillips

With the Coalition reaching the halfway point for its Spending Review, and in the wake of the West Coast Main Line fiasco, an in-depth analysis published this week (19 Oct) by The Work Foundation warns that the government is largely flying blind on the damage public sector workforce cuts could be doing to the labour market, despite making cuts at a faster rate than either the Thatcher or Major governments. The report also raises concerns about the impact on public sector skills, with recent events at Department for Transport raising the possibility that cutbacks could be leaving key areas with a shortage of essential skills and experience.

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Hazel’s comment:
If you dispense with chiefs and promote indians to take their places, and if you continue to follow the civil service mantra of not leaving anyone in a single position too long (except for professionals such as psychologists) then you risk losing all the expertise that has built up.
This has obviously happened in the Department for Transport over the franchise issue because no-one seems to have understood the rules (except the people from Virgin who went through the procedure with different civil servants).

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Raising aspirations and smoothing transitions

Tristram Hooley from iCeGS has written a very useful blog post about the new report from The Work Foundation.

Since there is no way I can better what has already been done here is the permalink.

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Short-term crisis - long-term problem? Addressing the youth employment challenge

a report by Neil Lee, Paul Sissons, Brhmie Balaram, Katy Jones and Nye Cominetti for The Work Foundation

Executive Summary

There are more than one million young people unemployed in the UK, representing a serious economic and social challenge. Unemployment while young can lead to long-term reductions in wages, increased chances of subsequent periods of unemployment, and poorer health outcomes. High levels of youth unemployment also have wider social and economic costs. The cost of youth unemployment over the next decade has been estimated at £28 billion.¹

Yet, while we should be concerned about all those who are unemployed while young, many of these young people are only unemployed for a relatively short period. The most difficult challenge for policy is addressing the problem of long-term youth unemployment – the 264,000 young people in this country who have been out of work for 12 months or longer. The longer a young person is removed from employment, education, or training, the worse the long-term consequences for the individual and the economy.

Government, business and the third sector needs to urgently consider this core group of long-term youth unemployed. This report – the first research report published as part of The Work Foundation’s Missing Million programme – focuses on the characteristics of this group and how policy can best be targeted at them. We do so through three research phases: an analysis of the characteristics of the long-term youth unemployed, a set of interviews with long-term unemployed young people to identify their problems, opinions and ideas to improve services, and a phase of policy mapping where we establish which interventions work best.

Young people who are long-term unemployed are more likely to be men, and are more likely to be poorly qualified. The rate of long-term youth unemployment has been rising for some time – but was exacerbated by the recession.

A significant proportion of the unemployed are not claiming benefit. Around a third of young people who are unemployed are not claiming unemployment benefit – this makes it harder for the government to reach them and help them into work.² It makes the role of the third sector vital in integrating these young people into the labour market.

Young people find it increasingly difficult to get an initial foothold in the labour market. Our interviews suggested the initial transition after leaving education or training was very difficult. Problems included a lack of qualifications and/or suitable skills. And, in the face of a double dip recession, there were often too few job opportunities for young people, particularly in deprived local economies.

Many young people were caught in a Catch 22 situation: they had no work experience, but needed this experience to demonstrate to employers they had the skills required for the world of work.

In contrast to media portrayals of young people, we found little evidence to suggest that young people have unrealistic expectations of the labour market. The young people we interviewed generally had job goals that were grounded in the type of vacancies most likely to be available locally.

Young people who are long-term unemployed are diverse in their distance from, and orientation to, the labour market. Some were committed jobseekers fully engaged in searching for work and desperate for an opportunity; others were more casual in their job search and exercised greater selectivity about what to apply for; a third group could be categorised as being harder to help, and often had multiple barriers to work.

While the introduction of the Youth Contract is a positive step, government policy for long-term youth unemployment remains inadequate to the scale of the challenge. The government needs to do more, and policy should focus on six key areas

1. Improving national coordination – we recommend establishing a new Youth Employment Unit to work across government departments. We also recommend that youth employment becomes a specified ministerial responsibility, that a national minister has this added to their portfolio with responsibility for co-ordinating policy between government departments, business and other stakeholders to facilitate long-term improvements in the transition from education to work for young people
2. Better local coordination – local services for young people are too often fragmented. More needs to be done locally to link these services. Key stakeholders in local areas need to work in partnership with each other, and with employers, to develop youth employment strategies to maximise opportunities for the long-term unemployed
3. Guaranteeing part-time jobs – the wage subsidy of the Youth Contract is to be welcomed, but it can be improved on – a part-time job guarantee for all long-term unemployed jobseekers has a number of clear advantages, in particular around having time to spend on jobsearch and the support to do this
4. Bring more young people into the employment support system – given the significant proportion of the young unemployed who are not claiming benefit more needs to be done to bring these young people into the system. The voluntary sector has an important role here and effective provision must be financially supported and ramped up
5. Addressing transport barriers – for some young jobseekers the cost of transport is a major barrier to work. Greater leverage should be used in contract and subsidy negotiations with transport providers to ensure this barrier is removed
6. Focusing on growth – the long-term solution is through greater employment growth which will enable the long-term unemployed to capitalise on the employability benefits of short-term schemes.

¹ ACEVO (2012) ‘Youth unemployment: the crisis we cannot afford’, London: ACEVO.
² Figure excludes full-time students.

Full text (PDF 50pp)

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