July 18, 2019

Govt scheme to retrain people in the age of automation

The UK Government in partnership with the CBI and TUC has launched a new scheme to help workers whose jobs change or become obsolete because of advances in technology. Workers will be offered help in retraining or finding a new career amid suggestions that up to a third of jobs could be at risk of changing because of automation in the coming 10 to 20 years. The National Training Scheme will be trialled in Liverpool before being rolled out across England. The CBI and TUC are both backing the initiative as a way of boosting productivity, pay and workers’ skills. (more…)

July 17, 2019

Rise in employment led by self-employed and older workers

by Tony Wilson • Flexible working, News

As with the last few months, the latest UK employment figures look like a sea of tranquillity. The number of people in work is up ever so slightly (setting another record), unemployment down slightly again (ditto) and earnings continuing to grow. After a couple of months where there were hints that the labour market might be cooling down, today’s figures suggest that it is heating up once more. However beneath the surface, the numbers highlight some big changes in employment trends – with two things in particular standing out. (more…)

July 16, 2019

Government sets out plans to reduce work related ill health

by Neil Franklin • News, Wellbeing

The UK government has opened a consultation on ill health in the workplace which looks at issues such as workplace modifications, the right to request flexible working and interventions from employers. It claims that more could be done on the issue, especially for people with disabilities or long term health conditions. The consultation will focus on what employers can do to help employees and how they could be supported with advice and information, better access to occupational health resources and financial help, especially for small businesses and the self-employed. (more…)

July 9, 2019

Fifth of people do not last a year in self-employment

by Neil Franklin • News

One-fifth of sole traders in self-employment don’t survive one year, and the majority don’t survive five, according to a new study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The analysis of HMRC tax records by researchers at the IFS was funded by the Office for National Statistics through the Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence (ESCoE) and the Economic and Social Research Council. (more…)

July 3, 2019

Gig economy and freelance workers would prefer secure work

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

Freelancers, the self employed and workers in the so-called gig economy may like the flexibility but they would prefer a steady job, according to new research from the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP). The rise of non-traditional work arrangements is not due to workers wanting or demanding these jobs, but rather because they have no other choice the report concludes. What’s more, workers would agree to earn less in order to increase their employment security. The results come from analysis of data from over 4,000 UK and US workers, who were surveyed on their current work arrangements and the job attributes they most want. (more…)

June 12, 2019

Women and older workers drive record employment

by Marie Hillen • News, Workplace

The number of people in employment in the UK increased by 32,000 to a record high of 32.75 million in the three months to April 2019, according to the latest Labour Force Survey (LFS) from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). This was driven by women whose numbers increased by 60,000 on the quarter to a record high of 15.46 million.

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June 12, 2019

People can hit career dead end in their fifties

by Neil Franklin • News, Workplace

With a rising retirement age and the prediction that by 2020, a third of UK workers will be aged 50 or over, new research from job board Totaljobs and recruitment firm Robert Walters found that many workers in their 50s find their career options and development opportunities are extremely limited.

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June 11, 2019

Over half of US workers offered flexible Fridays

by Marie Hillen • Flexible working, News, Workplace

This summer, over half (55 percent) of US employers will offer employees the option to leave work early on Fridays or take the entire day off. The new survey by Gartner claims that so-called flexible Fridays are an example of the sort of perks organisations are offering to gain competitive advantage in attracting and retaining top talent in a labour market which features record low unemployment levels.

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June 5, 2019

Most people convinced they can do their job in four day week

by Neil Franklin • Flexible working, News

A new report from job site Indeed explores what work means to people in the UK today. The Meaning of Work report analyses trends from the last five years, generated by more than 40 million monthly visitors to the firm’s website alongside the results of a YouGov survey of over 2,000 full-time employees. The report’s headline finding is that around three-quarters of people (74 per cent) already believe they could do their full time job to the same standard over the course of a four day week. (more…)

May 28, 2019

Number of over-70s in work doubles

by Mark Eltringham • News, Workplace

Record numbers of over-70s are choosing work over retirement, according to new analysis from Rest Less, a membership community site in the UK to offer work and volunteering opportunities specifically targeted at the over 50s. Using bespoke data provided to Rest Less by the Office for National Statistics, Rest Less’s analysis claims that the number of over-70s in full or part-time employment has been steadily rising year on year over the past 10 years, reaching a peak of 497,946 in the first quarter of this year – an increase of 286,000 or 135 per cent since 2009. Today, nearly 1 in 12 (8.1 percent) of those in their 70s are working, a significant increase from the 1 in 22 (4.5 percent) there were 10 years ago.

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May 17, 2019

Working from home up more than a quarter in decade

by George Eltringham • Flexible working, News

There are 374,000 more employees working from home than 10 years ago, new TUC analysis published today to mark Work Wise UK’s National Work from Home Day implies. The analysis suggests a 27.7 percent increase in the number of homeworkers in the last decade. But not enough bosses are giving their workers the option of homeworking, which could help people to see more of their family and improve work-life balance. (more…)

May 15, 2019

Rise in number of non-EU born workers in UK

by Marie Hillen • Legal news, News, Workplace

The number of non-EU born workers in employment has increased over the past 12 months due to a tightening labour market, according to statistics published this week by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Figures show that just over a third of the 364, 000 net annual increase in the number of people in work over the past year has gone to people from outside the European Union, although the number of EU-born citizens in work has also risen. The number of non-EU born citizens in employment has increased by 123, 000 during the past year, while there has been a notable quarterly increase of more than 117,000 EU-born citizens.

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