UK Employers need to act now to improve workforce

The advice being given to British employers is to act now to improve the way they source, engage and nurture their workforce.

‘The Future of Jobs’ report, published by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) revealed that they must make these improvements to avoid skills shortages and further declines in productivity and competitiveness over the next seven years.

The publication, chaired by Rt Hon Esther McVey MP, former Employment Minister, expresses a clear vision for the kind of jobs market the UK should aspire to create by 2025 and lists practical examples of what the government, recruiters and hiring organisations should do to make it a reality.

Just a few examples of the recommendations include that:

• Employers be more creative with their recruitment procedures, offer flexible work as standard and remove barriers for under-represented groups, eg by using collaborative hiring or name-blind recruitment.
• The government creates a new Employment and Skills Advisory Committee to review data and take evidence to help the government plan investments in training, and immigration policy.
• The government and business need to find new ways of measuring the success of the UK jobs market, including progress on inclusion, social mobility, pay gaps and productivity.

Recruitment & Employment Confederation chief executive Kevin Green commented, “We rightly celebrate the fact that the UK labour market has remained both resilient and agile. But in order to retain that competitive advantage, business and government need to work collaboratively to implement some radical changes.

“By 2025 we want good work to be the norm, where businesses champion diversity and inclusion and invest in training and skills development for all staff, no matter what kind of contract they are on. We need to foster a labour market where anyone can both find work and progress within work, irrespective of their background.”

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