Earlier this week Keir Starmer announced plans to make the “biggest employment reforms in a generation”. In its Get Britain Working Again whitepaper, the government pledged to increase the employment rate from 75% to 80% – this equates to an additional two million working people.
Key highlights of the plan include:
- Rebranding job centres to ‘National Jobs and Careers Services’
- A ’Youth Guarantee’ project, which provides every 18-21 year old in England with apprenticeships, training and educational opportunities and support with securing a job
- Allocated funding to specific regions in England (North East, South Yorskhire and West Yorkshire) to help prevent workers leaving employment due to ill health
- An independent review of how UK employers are building healthy and inclusive places of work
The government is positioning this move as an “overhaul” that will address the surge in economic inactivity since Covid, particularly among young people. But is this approach getting to the root cause of the issue? Or is this just a rinse-and-repeat of past (ineffective) attempts to boost employment levels? We asked three HR expert to share their views with HRZone…
Give tax breaks and incentives for wellbeing-focused organisations
Gethin Nadin, Chief Innovation Officer at Benefex, welcomes the Government’s push to get young people into work, but stresses the need to address fundamental wellbeing issues within the workplace.
“The government’s overhaul of the jobs market, with a specific target towards helping young people is welcomed. There are currently more than a million young people actively not working in the UK, with many more disillusioned by their job prospects and compensation. However, the bigger problem here is that work just simply isn’t working for so many people, of all ages.”
“The record levels of sickness and absence, combined with record levels of long-term inactivity points towards one thing – wellbeing. While the new whitepaper references an independent review of the role employers play in promoting health, measures are needed to ensure the government “gets out of the way” of employers who want to offer more. This means tax breaks and incentives for those employers who are willing to step up and support their people with workplace wellbeing support like health insurance, health cash plans and other benefits.”
High-quality skills support is critical for Starmer’s plan to work
Ella Overshott, Co-director of Percan Partnership, believes the plan’s effectiveness relies on a future-focused, skills development overhaul for young people.
“High quality careers support is still seriously lacking in an over-stretched education system, struggling to keep up with the fast-changing employment market in the UK and around the world. So please start early Sir Keir, don’t wait for them to get to the job centre.”
“As well as bringing employers and educators together to forward plan for the technical skills needed in our workforce, it is essential to develop the psychological and behavioural capability of our young people so they can thrive in employment.”
“Coaching is a powerful intervention to help bridge the gap between employer expectations and the potential of future employees. It has been proven to build self-confidence, resilience, motivation and responsibility in children as young as Primary age. With the right training, young people can understand their personal strengths and weaknesses, develop verbal and written communication, learn how to plan, manage their time and build relationships – all fundamental to any job.”
Stop with the lazy unemployed rhetoric
Culture consultant Deborah Hartung urges us to move away from outdated assumptions around laziness in the unemployed and instead acknowledge systemic obstructions.
“Economic inactivity and unemployment can’t be reduced to personal failings or lack of motivation – it’s a system-wide challenge that requires a system-wide response.”
“My experiences in the UK so far, have taught me that many people face structural barriers to either entering or rejoining the workplace. Chronic illness, mental health struggles, caregiving responsibilities, and the erosion of accessible, flexible job options keep millions out of work – not laziness. The pandemic didn’t create these issues; it amplified them. Yet we persist with outdated assumptions, rooted in capitalist and colonialist narratives, that equate productivity with worth and label those unable to participate as idle.”
“Punitive measures like benefit sanctions won’t solve these problems either. What we need is a more compassionate, pragmatic approach: addressing childcare costs, increasing accessibility for disabled workers, and redesigning work to better align with 21st century human needs.This isn’t just about getting people off the couch; it’s about creating conditions where everyone can contribute meaningfully and within their means.”
