Employment and skills specialist Working Links is
urging welfare to work and training providers to work closely with
employers to ensure unemployed people are ready for future
jobs.
In a new report, leading think tank IPPR has warned that the UK
faces a long and difficult path back to full employment,
highlighting insufficient private sector job creation over the last
two decades as a reason for high unemployment levels.
IPPR’s analysis shows that technological change and
globalisation will continue to cause the composition of the
workforce to change. The vast majority of jobs created over the
next decade will come in the private service sector. The report
argues that if the government is to achieve its aim of rebalancing
the economy, a greater proportion of those jobs will have to be in
tradable sectors that in the past. Key industries will include
professional, business and scientific services and the information,
communication and creative industries.
The report also argues that most jobs created in the UK over the
next decade will be skilled jobs, while ‘traditional’ low-skilled
jobs will continue to disappear, to be replaced by more work in
areas such as social care and personal services.
Working Links sponsored the report and is calling on similar
providers to follow its lead to work closely with employers in a
bid to lower the number of people who are unemployed.
A Working Links spokesman said: “In these difficult times, Work
Programme providers have a vital role to play in bringing their
knowledge, expertise and innovation to the fore, collaborating with
the best private, public and voluntary organisations to provide the
right help for people out of work.
“It’s important for organisations like Working Links to continue
to monitor labour market trends and work closely with employers to
ensure jobseekers find jobs they are capable of doing. Training,
whether it’s to top up existing skills or retraining for a new
career, is important not only for personal development but will
also help Britain recover from the economic downturn in a better
position. We work closely with employers and sector skills councils
to deliver tailored training to the exact needs of employers with
our extensive knowledge of local, regional and national labour
markets, enabling firms to take on job-ready long-term unemployed
people.
“Going forward, it’s important to highlight the benefits that
Apprenticeship schemes can bring to employers of all sizes. Our
recent research shows that 80% of employers believe apprenticeships
will help reduce youth unemployment and an overwhelming 100% of
employers felt that Apprenticeships give young people the skills
they need to find lasting work.
“It’s vital to recognise the types of qualities and skills
employers value most and how best to provide these to young people.
The pre-Apprenticeship training that Working Links is helping to
deliver is especially key, as it’s the first step to ensuring
candidates are work-ready and have the necessary soft skills needed
to succeed.”
Tony Dolphin, IPPR Associate Director for Economic Policy, said:
“Promoting a speedy return to full employment in the UK should be a
priority for the government. There is little evidence to suggest
the private sector will be able to meet the challenge over the next
four years without help from government.
“Cutting corporate tax rates, deregulation and Enterprise Zones
are an inadequate response to the challenge, The government should
work with others, including skills providers and welfare-to-work
providers, to do more to support growth in the short-term and to
avoid the problem of discouraged workers leaving the labour market
by doing more to encourage retraining, to improve job-matching and
to get the long-term unemployed back into work.”
View the full report here.