Government consults over adult learning overhaul
The UK Coalition Government has launched a consultation on adult learning reform, proposing changes to further education, community learning, and student loans. The “New Challenges, New Chances” consultation aims to reduce bureaucracy, improve teaching quality, and expand access to higher-level courses from 2013/14 onwards.
Benefits must be tailored to age to attract top talent
Different age groups prioritize different workplace benefits, according to research showing young workers value development programs while older employees prefer flexible working and health insurance. Employers who tailor benefit packages to their workforce’s age profile can better attract and retain talent while maximizing value for their investment.
Proposed MBNA sale puts 5,000 UK and Irish financial services jobs at risk
Bank of America plans to sell its MBNA credit card business, putting 5,000 jobs at risk across the UK and Ireland. The decision affects 4,000 employees in Chester and 1,000 in Carrick-on-Shannon as the bank divests non-core assets under a new strategy.
Union ballots Fujitsu’s ICT staff for strike action over pay
The Public and Commercial Services union is balloting 750 Fujitsu ICT staff supporting five government departments for strike action over pay. The dispute centers on pay rises of 1.5-2.5%, well below inflation, while senior managers receive bonuses exceeding £14,000. Potential industrial action in September and October could affect critical services including HMRC tax systems and DVLA driving license operations.
Blog: The kids aren’t alright
Recent riots highlighted youth unemployment as a critical issue, with roughly 20% of 16-24 year-olds jobless. While HR professionals remain divided on whether better employment opportunities could have prevented the unrest, experts agree that lack of prospects significantly impacts young people’s self-esteem and relationship to society.
Youth unemployment led to riots, says Carpetright CEO
Carpetright CEO Lord Harris of Peckham links youth unemployment to the recent riots, calling on the coalition government to create more jobs for young people. With nearly 20% of 16-to-24 year olds unemployed, he argues that idle youth are more likely to turn to crime and theft.
The Workplace: Equipping Starbank for the future
Starbank, a UK-based laminate panel manufacturer founded in 1976, partnered with Festo to implement management development and leadership programs. Recognizing the need for structured management practices beyond operational expertise, the company repositioned itself around its UK heritage and customer service to support sustainable growth.
PM and Chancellor plan top tax rate cut to 45p
The Prime Minister and Chancellor plan to cut the top income tax rate from 50p to 45p, citing Treasury analysis showing the current rate generates minimal revenue due to tax evasion. The proposed cut would cost the government an estimated £750 million annually.
Employment downturn imminent, say experts
Conditions in the labour market are weaker than earlier in the year and evidence suggests that a renewed employment downturn is imminent, experts have warned. Although figures from the Office of National Statistics indicated that UK unemployment fell by 26,000 to 2.45 million or 7.7% of the total workforce in the three months to May, […]
Unemployment will not improve before 2016, says CIPD
Unemployment will peak at 2.7 million in mid-2012 but anaemic economic growth will lead to the same number of people being out of work in four year’s time as there are today, an HR body has warned. The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development has revised down its December 2010 forecast, in which it predicted […]
AA accused of ‘corporate bullying’
The Automobile Association is indulging in “corporate bullying” by attempting to ‘performance manage’ 450 staff out of their jobs in a bid to replace them with cheaper, lower skilled workers, the GMB union has claimed. Patrollers across the country have allegedly been called into meetings and given a “take it or leave it” offer of […]
Two councils to sack entire payroll in order to meet cuts
Two local councils plan to sack their entire workforces in drastic moves they say are the only way to meet cuts targets. Shropshire County Council has already P45-ed its entire workforce to try and force through a salary cut of 5.4% and reductions in sick pay, while Southampton City Council says it will do the […]
Mind the British skills gap
British jobs for British workers, we were told last week. Well, yes… if they’re the most competitive in the market and the most qualified to do the job. What are we banging on about? Works and Pension Secretary Ian Duncan Smith lambasted the previous government’s job creation record last week, arguing that too many […]
Duncan Smith calls to ‘give our young people a chance’ at employment
UK employers must stop taking on labour from abroad and give work to jobless British youths instead, the Work and Pension Secretary will say today. In a speech to the Spanish Foundation for Analysis and Social Studies think tank in Madrid, Iain Duncan Smith will attest that the coalition government is attempting to tackle […]
‘Don’t strike’ Cameron plea to public sector
David Cameron will make a last ditch appeal to public sector workers today not to go on strike on Thursday after talks between the coalition government and the unions broke down last night. The Prime Minister is to address the Local Government Association’s annual conference two days before a walkout of an expected 750,000 teachers, […]
Cable announces C-suite pay crackdown
Vince Cable pledged to crack down on the “outrageous” renumeration packages offered to some senior business managers just as it emerged that Network Rail is to hand its former chief executive a £1 million payoff. Speaking at the Association of British Insurer’s biennial conference yesterday, the Business Secretary said that, over the next few weeks, […]
Government must join up their jobs policies
If the UK is to create a sustainable jobs market, the coalition government must develop joined up policies around welfare-to-work and apprenticeship-focused skills provision, learning providers have warned. Martin Dunford, chairman of the Association of Employment and Learning Providers, formerly known as the Association of Learning Providers, told the organisation’s annual conference in London yesterday […]
Britain’s recovery ‘fragile’
Despite positive headline labour market figures, the overall picture is of a “fragile, weak recovery” that could be tipped into reverse as public sector job cuts really start to bite, experts have warned. According to official figures from the Office for National Statistics, unemployment fell significantly by 88,000 to 2.43 million or 7.7% in the […]
Surprise drop in movement in the City
Uncertainty over the pace of economic recovery led to a 19% drop in new vacancies in the City last month compared with April, a move deemed to be unusual at this time of year. The figures produced by Square Mile recruiter Morgan McKinley are significant given that financial services was the first sector to go […]
Growth won’t solve the UK’s labour market problems
The UK’s labour market has deep-seated structural problems that will not be solved by a return to economic growth alone, the CBI has warned. In a report entitled ‘Mapping the route to growth: rebalancing employment’, the employers’ lobby group said that the decade of growth before the recession had masked a number of entrenched problems. […]
