Search Results for: labour market

Employment rights to be enforced by new single body

Employment rights to be enforced by new single body

by • Flexible working, Legal news, News, Workplace

Good work and employment rightsThe government has launched its latest Good Work Plan consultation which proposes a new single body for employment rights enforcement. The new body would replace the current seven organisations that have responsibility for employment rights enforcement. The proposals include the body having  powers to enforce payment of the minimum wage, labour exploitation and modern slavery, along with holiday payments for vulnerable workers and safeguarding agency workers. The consultation considers whether the body should also enforce laws related to workplace discrimination, harassment and bullying. (more…)

Govt scheme to retrain people in the age of automation

Govt scheme to retrain people in the age of automation

by • AI, News

automationThe 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…)

Rise in employment led by self-employed and older workers

Rise in employment led by self-employed and older workers

by • Flexible working, News

employment figuresAs 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…)

Government sets out plans to reduce work related ill health

Government sets out plans to reduce work related ill health

by • News, Wellbeing

wellbeing and ill healthThe 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…)

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

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

by • News

Maria Spelterini crosses Niagara on a tightrope to illustrate the precariousness of self-employmentOne-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…)

Gig economy and freelance workers would prefer secure work

Gig economy and freelance workers would prefer secure work

by • Flexible working, News

A gig economy workerFreelancers, 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…)

Women and older workers drive record employment

Women and older workers drive record employment

by • News, Workplace

ONS says women and older workers helped drive record employment ratesThe 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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People can hit career dead end in their fifties

People can hit career dead end in their fifties

by • News, Workplace

Career opportunities for over 50sWith 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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Over half of US workers offered flexible Fridays

Over half of US workers offered flexible Fridays

by • Flexible working, News, Workplace

Over half of US workers offered flexible Fridays this summer @GenslerThis 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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Most people convinced they can do their job in four day week

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

by • Flexible working, News

An image of clocks to illustrate the idea of the four day weekA 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…)

Number of over-70s in work doubles

Number of over-70s in work doubles

by • 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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Working from home up more than a quarter in decade

Working from home up more than a quarter in decade

by • Flexible working, News

Young woman working from homeThere 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…)

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