November 3, 2020
The Government must give UK regional economies greater autonomy over skills and employment to develop grassroot recovery strategies – or risk levelling down the chances of millions, according to a new report published by City & Guilds Group. More →
October 21, 2020
The Future of Jobs 2020 report from the World Economic Forum claims that COVID-19 has caused the labour market to change faster than expected. The research suggests that what was recently considered the future of work has now arrived. By 2025, automation and a new division of labour between humans and machines will disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies. More →
September 10, 2020
Highly talented workers join prestigious firms, claims new research by the University of Cologne, Bielefeld, Braunschweig and the California State University, East Bay. The study, conducted by Professor Oliver Gurtler, suggests that it is harder to advance in a competitive firm, but the promotion is higher valued by the labour market. More →
July 30, 2020
New research from the University of Kent and the University of Birmingham suggests that the recent surge in the number of people working from home during the COVID-19 lockdown has presented significant challenges for those who are parents, particularly mothers. Despite this, the shift has also changed the way that many people intend to work in the future. More →
July 17, 2020
In the week the ONS announced that the number of self-employed people in the UK had dropped by 178,000 over the last quarter, a new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Institute for Fiscal Study suggests that the growing number of people who turn to self-employment do so despite a drop in their incomes. On average, they earn nearly £500 (30 percent) less a month than they did before falling out of traditional employment. More →
June 19, 2020
New figures published today claim that more than 9 in 10 working parents and carers surveyed by work-life balance charity Working Families want their workplace to retain flexible working post-COVID-19. More →
May 29, 2020
A new report from Aon claims that the so-called gig economy will continue to flourish but many employers are still adjusting to its realities. Using research from HR and gig workers across Europe, the report, Gig Economy: Financial Security or Greater Control, claims that 26 percent of European HR directors believe their workforces will have 51-75 percent of gig workers in five years’ time, while 18 percent of UK HRDs believe 75 percent or more of their workforce will be made up of contractors in 5 years’ time. Nearly all HRDs believe providing health and benefits packages would improve gig worker recruitment (94 percent), engagement (93 percent), productivity (88 percent) and retention (95 percent). More →
April 27, 2020
A report into the government’s plan to introduce IR35 reforms to the private sector has concluded that it is so flawed that it should be delayed and reconsidered. The committee concluded the rules are “riddled” with problems and unfairness. The authors conclude that the Government has overlooked the potential impact on the wider labour market, including the so-called gig economy. The Committee also heard that many companies were already nervous about the rules and so making blanket status determinations and laying off contractors. More →
March 18, 2020
The number of young workers leaving London is on the rise, with net migration away from the capital growing, claims new research from Totaljobs and Professor of Economics at Lancaster University, Geraint Johnes. The new research, taken from analysis of ONS data as well as the views of 2,000 Londoners, suggests that since 2014, more than one million professionals have left London, with just 900,000 coming in. This is a net loss of 88 workers every day, with the biggest shortfall down to workers aged 25-34, the majority (54 percent) of them having given up hope of ever owning property in the capital. There has been a 49 percent increase in outbound migration of those in their 30s over the last five years. More →
March 3, 2020
The idea of giving everybody something called basic income – an unconditional, regular income – has become increasingly popular in the last few years, partly because employment has become less secure and people fear that increasing automation may cause job losses across many sectors. More →
February 26, 2020
The UK is ignoring the value of millions of workers by overlooking workplace training and opportunities to upskill, a new survey has suggested. According to the Missing Millions report from City & Guilds Group, a third of employees have either not received workplace training in the last five years or have never had any such training – equating to 17.8 million people in the UK with outdated skills. The result, the report claims, is declining productivity and problems remaining competitive. More →
August 4, 2020
Boardroom heroes needed to transform working cultures
by Alex Fleming • Comment, Flexible working