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There is a need for improved skills development within the UK's Higher Education Institutions (HEI) stemming from the disconnect between the expectations of employers of the skills graduates have and the skills graduates have gained during their degree. It is well-known now that there is a clear skills gap. The present study aims to explore the effect of graduates and students' perception of skills development in HEI in the UK. A total of 420 participants completed an online survey to explore their perception as well as their confidence of skills development by rating each skill on a Likert scale. The paper discusses the results in light of pedagogical strategies developed to teach soft skills in HE. The paper concludes with recommendations for teaching practice.

This paper simulates the likely fiscal and employment effects of a vast public annual investment programme of free universal high-quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) services in the UK. It examines the extent to which it would pay for itself fiscally for different scenarios of pay increases. Investing in high-quality universal ECEC benefits all children by improving their life chances, especially for those living in lower income families. It also generates larger employment effects than other more typical investment policies such as construction projects and fosters gender equality in employment: not only it provides many high-quality jobs for women, it also allows many mothers to improve their lifetime earnings prospects by freeing up their childcare constraints. This in turn has beneficial fiscal revenue effects for the government. Estimations of annual public expenditure for a system of highly qualified and well-paid childcare staff with low child-to-staff ratios are performed, with universal coverage for all pre-school children aged 6 months to 4.5 years. Labour demand and matching supply effects are also simulated using input-output methods, for different take-up rates of the programme. A microsimulation tool is used to calculate increases in household income and tax liabilities and decreases in social security benefits spending. This results in a net annual funding requirement of between 28 and 39% of the gross investment. Two funding methods are then explored: raising taxation in a progressive way and recouping the cost over time from persistent mothers' increased earnings. The former would entail a net additional contribution by the richest 20% of households of at most 0.4% of their income; the latter would require 21 to 31 years to offset the programme on average, which is within a typical working life-course following a first child's birth, of 35 years.

Graduate employment statistics are receiving considerable attention in UK universities. This paper looks at how a wide range of employability attributes can be developed with students, through the innovative use of the Project Based Learning (PjBL) approach. The case study discussed here involves a group of archaeology students from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) and their task of reconstructing and firing a small, early medieval clamp kiln. The employability skills and attributes are discussed, with reference to Yorke's Understanding, Skills, Efficacy and Metacognition (USEM) model of employability. Thanks are due to Get Your Wellies Outdoor Learning Centre, Preston, Lancashire for the use of their site, and to five students James Claydon, Brian Joynes, Josh Pugh, Dan Scully, Mike Woods, and two community volunteers, Bernard and Pat Fleming, for their involvement in the experiment.

This paper examines young British people's conceptualisation of identity and citizenship. Data were gathered through a questionnaire survey from 442 young male and female citizens of majority and minority ethnic origins, aged 14-24 years and at different stages of education, employment and non-employment. This was followed up by in-depth interviews with a stratified sample of 40 participants. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, and by closely examining the two key concepts of identity and citizenship, the paper analyses the ways in which young Britons perceive their multiple identities and citizenship status. The research shows that education and career are the major priorities of these young people. They have clear notions of identity and citizenship and most are comfortable with their own identities and feelings of citizenship. However, some of those who are from a minority ethnic background have doubts about being viewed as British citizens because of racial harassment or stereotyping, particularly in the aftermath of terrorist attacks in the West. The research has implications for pedagogy, education policy, community cohesion and social justice. (Contains 1 figure.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had enormous implications for the world of work. However, there has been relatively little focus on the employment and workforce challenges of the virus in relation to workforce health, beyond the immediate management of the spread of the disease. There is an important gap in understanding the ongoing workforce issues created by the significant incidence of Long COVID in the population., Aim: This paper examines the effects of Long COVID on employment and workers' mental health to contribute to understanding of work-limiting health conditions and to offer policy implications for COVID-19 and similar health conditions on employment and the workforce., Methods: A large national panel study for the UK is used to estimate the likelihood of exiting employment as well as on changes in working hours and general mental health and happiness of those who remain in work. The sample includes individuals 16 years and older who were in employment in January/February 2020 and followed during the pandemic 2020-2021. Long COVID is self-reported in the data. Informed by conceptual consideration of employment protection in the UK, two groups of individuals with Long COVID are defined based on the duration of symptoms. Group 1 has Long COVID 5-28 weeks after an infection with COVID-19, which is up to the maximum length of Statutory Sick Pay in the UK. Group 2 has symptoms for 29+ weeks, which is beyond the statutory entitlement to sickness pay. Panel regression models are fitted both with fixed-effects and random-effects. Individual and job characteristics are used as controls Those with no COVID-19 symptoms are the reference group., Results: In between-person comparison, Group 2 is at higher risk of exiting employment compared to those with no COVID-19 symptoms. Between-person estimates of mental health and well-being show negative effects of Long COVID for both groups but these are greatest in Group 2. Within-person estimates suggest that factors associated with earnings mediate the negative Long COVID effects on mental health in Group 1 and that Group 2 adapts to working with Long COVID. Group 1 is at risk of working zero hours (i.e. being on sick leave) but neither Group 1 nor Group 2 have a higher probability of working fewer hours compared to those with no COVID-19 symptoms. The negative impact of Long COVID on working hours stems primarily from working zero hours (sickness leave) rather than working fewer hours, suggesting a lack of accommodation by employers of Long COVID at work., Policy Implications: The extension of Statutory Sickness Pay and greater flexibility to manage partial (returns to) work would help preserve employment and mental health. Those with Long COVID for 12 months are likely to meet the definition of disability and so have a right to receive reasonable workplace adjustments., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Reuschke et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: The United Kingdom (UK) has a significant and rising population of refugees and asylum seekers, including many who have previously worked as healthcare professionals. Evidence shows they have struggled to join and successfully work in the UK National Health Service (NHS) despite initiatives designed to improve their inclusion. This paper presents a narrative review based on research surrounding this population to describe the barriers that have impeded their integration and possible ways to overcome them. Methods: We conducted a literature review to obtain peer-reviewed primary research from key databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, EMBASE). The collected sources were individually reviewed against predetermined questions to construct a cohesive narrative. Results: 46 studies were retrieved, of which 13 satisfied the inclusion criteria. The vast majority of literature focussed on doctors with minimal research on other healthcare workers. Study review identified numerous barriers impeding the integration of refugee and asylum seeker healthcare professionals (RASHPs) into the workforce that are unique from other international medical graduates seeking employment in the UK. These include experiences of trauma, additional legal hurdles and restrictions on their right to work, significant gaps in work experience, and financial difficulties. Several work experience and/or training programs have been created to help RASHPs obtain substantive employment, the most successful of which have involved a multifaceted approach and an income for participants. Conclusions: Continual work towards improving the integration of RASHPs into the UK NHS is mutually beneficial. Existing research is significantly limited in quantity, but it provides a direction for future programs and support systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to bring together two separate strands of the literature (politics and industrial relations) on civil service management and reform to enable consideration of the industrial relations implications of these changes. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is conceptual and has no empirical base. The paper is a general review of existing literature on the subject. Findings – The paper identifies the importance of historical legacy in both management and union behaviour in the civil service. By revisiting earlier civil service reforms, the reader is able to gain an understanding of the rationale for much of the current restructuring of the civil service. Additionally, any discussion of trade union behaviour should be located in the context of union tradition and evolution. Research limitations/implications – In being a general review, the paper does not report empirical evidence but instead provides the background for future research into civil service industrial relations and management. Originality/value – This paper is the first to provide a systematic review of management restructuring in the civil service whilst at the same time considering union responses. As such, the paper is of interest to academics and practitioners in the areas of both management and politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an ever-growing stream of books, pamphlets and articles on how to achieve and maintain employment, as of September 1944. It has become quite impossible for economists to read all these recipes, mainly because they all say more or less the same thing. They nearly all agree that the way to keep up the level of national employment is to keep up the level of national expenditure. In one way and another, national expenditure was permitted to increase in a number of countries, and some measure of recovery was achieved in the process. The reason for the recovery was not always understood, it was attributed to cheap money, an unbalanced budget, raising of tariffs, devaluation of the currency, increasing the general price level and so on, by the countries adopting these various measures. It was not realized that it was only in so far as the measures taken involved an increase in the total volume of spending in the country concerned that they could raise its level of employment at all and that in itself a rise in prices, far from promoting recovery, diminished the effect in stimulating employment of a given increase in spending. The article talks about the recent British government report on employment policy. There is nothing particularly novel about any of the measures recommended in the policy, nor do they involve any revolutionary change in economic practice or organization. What is new is, first, that the government there accept as one of their primary aims and responsibilities the maintenance of a high and stable level of employment and second, that the various measures proposed are commended as part of a single coherent plan.

Focuses on the dynamics of medical manpower in Great Britain. Increase in the medical unemployment rate; Recommendations on medical student intake and employment of overseas qualified physicians; Strategies in controlling the entry of overseas doctors.

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore and understand the organizational culture of a workplace in terms of support and well‐being for staff experiencing perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms at work. Design: It is widely acknowledged that perimenopause and menopause symptoms are experienced by a large percentage of the female workforce. There is a lack of research into how nurses are supported through menopause (Cronin et al. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 42, 2021, 541–548). The perimenopause and menopause transition can be a challenging time where many may require symptom management and support (RCN, The Menopause and Work: Guidance for RCN Representatives, 2020). This paper presents a case study research (CSR) approach to examine one healthcare organization. Methods: CSR design was used: A survey distributed to all staff employed, a review of the available documentation on menopause and interviews with managers from different levels of the organization. The COREQ consolidated criteria was used for reporting the qualitative research reported this study. Results: The case study generated both quantitative and qualitative data using surveys, interviews and documentation. Data from the organization (n = 6905) showed a majority female workforce of 81.9% with 40.6% aged between 41 and 55 years old, meaning a third of the organization working through perimenopause and menopause. Survey responses (n = 167) collected biographical and psychometric data on the prevalence of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. Seven managers were interviewed highlighting two themes: Access to support and culture of menopause and 13 documents from the organization on menopause were analysed for content. The study design permitted an iterative approach to data collection and providing an in‐depth understanding of the needs and support for those experiencing perimenopause and menopause. The findings help healthcare organizations to understand their workforce and take in to account the larger numbers of female employees particularly nurses with the need to provide person‐centred support mechanisms and an organizational approach for all employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports and reflects on an element of a recent survey of UK public health professionals, specifically in relation to the Public Health Knowledge and Skills Framework (PHSKF) and the ethical requirements that underpin public health practice. Only 38.4% of respondents reported accessing the PHKSF and a mere 13.7% reported accessing the accompanying background paper on ethical public health practice. Given that ethical practice underpins the PHSKF, it is concerning that so few respondents are familiar with the PHSKF and one of the source documents. While issuing frameworks and guidance is one way to support public health practice, there is a further need for greater integration of skills and knowledge around ethical public health practice within education and training initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: Mental health problems are among the leading causes of disability, with one in four adults in the UK experiencing a mental health disorder. Even with the increasing knowledge concerning mental health disorders, two-thirds of those experiencing concerns are reluctant to disclose their condition and seek professional help. This perceived stigma has a strongly negative correlation with help-seeking behavior, and disproportionately affects healthcare professionals; 26% of mental health professionals in England are reported to be resigning due to a reduction of well-being. Aims: This paper seeks to compare the effects of stigma perceived by mental health and non-mental health professionals, the barriers perceived, and the impact of specific disorders on this stigma. Methods: Using a mixed-methods approach, a survey was conducted to determine the stigma levels and perceived barriers of 108 people; 50% of these participants were professionals working within mental health services. Two focus groups were conducted, one for mental health professionals and one for non-mental health professionals, with four participants in each group. Results: The survey reported that mental health professionals had a lower level of stigma for specific disorders, although male mental health professionals working for less than five years reported a higher level of stigma and perceived barriers than did females with the same experience – with these then reducing after five years. The overarching focus group theme was “changes needed for disclosure”, with each group having four subthemes. Conclusions: Disclosure stigma remains an issue, with further research needing to be conducted to adapt to a minimally stigmatizing service for mental health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on news and developments concerning employee relations in Great Britain. A number of government ministers have recently taken the opportunity to challenge the desirability of continuing with national pay scales arrived at in industry-wide bargaining. The appearance of this campaign ensured that recent announcements that certain undertakings were to end centralized bargaining received a good deal of media publicity. In November 1986, Lord Young, Employment Secretary presented an Employment Department paper on housing and labor mobility to the National Economic Development Council (NEDO) which argued that "Regional pay differences may be insufficient to suggest to people that a move to another region might be worthwhile." Nigel Lawson, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in the same NEDO meeting, expressed the view that employers might be more interested in moving to depressed regions if they were not tied to nationally negotiated pay scales. This was strongly criticized by Norman Willis, General Secretary of the TUC.

Background: Syndemic theory highlights the potential for health problems to interact synergistically, compounding impact. Young adults not in education, employment or training (NEET) are more likely to experience disadvantage and poorer general health outcomes. However, there is little research on their sexual health, or the extent to which this clusters with mental and physical health outcomes., Methods: Analysis of data from 16 to 24 year olds (1729 men, 2140 women) interviewed 2010-12 for Britain's third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles. Natsal-3 is a national probability sample survey using computer-assisted personal interviewing with computer-assisted self-interviewing. Participants were classified as workers, students or NEET. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between being NEET (relative to worker or student) and risk behaviours and outcomes in physical, sexual and mental health domains. We then examined how risk behaviours and poor health outcomes cluster within and across domains., Results: 15% men and 20% women were NEET; 36% men and 32% women were workers; and 49% men and 48% women were students. Young people who were NEET were more likely to report smoking and drug use (men) than other young people. There were few differences in sexual health, although NEETs were more likely to report condomless sex, and NEET women, unplanned pregnancy (past year). Risk behaviours clustered more within and across domains for NEET men. Among NEET women, poor health outcomes clustered across mental, physical and sexual health domains., Conclusions: Harmful health behaviours (men) and poor health outcomes (women) clustered more in those who are NEET. This points to a possible syndemic effect of NEET status on general ill health, especially for women. Our paper is novel in highlighting that elevated risk pertains to sexual as well as mental and physical health.

In the first part of this paper, we present a stylized model of the labour market impact of immigration. We then discuss mechanisms through which an economy can adjust to immigration: changes in factor prices, output mix, and production technology. In the second part, we explain the problems of empirically estimating how immigration affects labour market outcomes of the resident population and review some strategies to address these. We then summarize some recent empirical studies for the UK and other countries. We conclude with an outlook on what we believe are important avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies a difference-in-differences methodology based on matched firms to isolate the direct employment effect of recent acquisition FDI in UK. manufacturing. Our analysis indicates that acquisition FDI has led to a reduction in the inefficiency with which labour had been used, but this was not associated, on average, with any significant down sizing. However, by allowing for heterogeneity in the causal effect of foreign take-overs, we uncover detrimental employment effects amongst larger take-over targets, and beneficial impacts amongst smaller ones. JEL no. F23, 123 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses are a key workforce in the international health system, and as such maintaining optimal working conditions is critical for preserving their well-being and good performance. One of the psychosocial risks that can have a major impact on them is job insecurity. This study aimed to carry out a bibliometric analysis, mapping job insecurity in 128 articles in nursing, and to determine the most important findings in the literature. The search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database using the Science Citation Index (SCI)-Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) indexes on 6 March 2020. This field of discipline has recently been established and has experienced significant growth since 2013. The most productive and widely cited authors are Denton and Zeytinoglu. The most productive universities are Toronto University, McMaster University, and Monash University. The most productive countries are the United States, Canada, Australia, Finland, and the United Kingdom. The most widely used measure was Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). The main findings report negative correlations with job satisfaction, mental well-being, and physical health. Job insecurity is a recent and little-discussed topic, and this paper provides an overview of the field. This will enable policies to reduce psychosocial risks among nurses to be implemented.

Planning for future health and social services (HSS) workforces must be informed by an understanding of how workers view their work within the context of their life and the challenges they will face across the course of life. There is a range of policies and provisions that states and organisations can adopt to create sustainable careers, support wellbeing at work, and extend working lives where appropriate, but the potential impact of these policies on the make-up of the workforce remains under investigation. This paper makes the case that service planners need to appreciate complex interplay between wellbeing and career decisions when planning the future workforce. It makes use of a recent survey of United Kingdom (UK) social workers ( n = 1434) to illustrate this interplay in two ways. First, we present the analysis of how social workers' perception of retirement and extended working lives are associated with dimensions of Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQL). We find that social workers who agreed that a flexible working policy would encourage them to delay their retirement scored lower on the Home-Work Interface and Control at Work dimensions of WRQL, while social workers who indicated a perception that their employer would not wish them to work beyond a certain age had lower Job and Career Satisfaction scores. Second, we propose a new typology of retirement outlooks using latent class analysis of these attitudinal measures. An 8-class solution is proposed, and we demonstrate the predictive utility of this scheme. Results are discussed in terms of the challenges for ageing Western populations and the usefulness of analysis such as this in estimating the potential uptake and impact of age-friendly policies and provisions.

This paper reviews how legal, political and economic threats to be borne out of Britain's decision to leave the European Union (EU) will short-change pre-Brexit work protection standards in the United Kingdom (UK). These threat-factors are considered in view of their effects on two classes of workers: low-income temporary agency workers (TAW); and low-income self-employed workers in the growing UK gig economy. This paper describes impending post-Brexit threats, to pre-existing policy implementation threats curtailing legally envisaged occupational safety and health (OSH) standards, and the practice of proactively preventing all foreseeable work related risks to the mental or physical health of workers. Post-Brexit threats add to current limitations to employment protections for lowincome workers in the UK, and despite the recently proposed labour law reforms by the 2017 Taylor Review in regard to low-income workers, it is argued that these Brexit threat factors increase the risk of not extending the principle of equal protection to these two classes of workers in UK law, in ways envisaged under the current EU regulation. The paper concludes that in view of the notion of occupational wellbeing, the risks of physical and mental harms posed to low-income workers through exploitative work practices segment them from other workers who enjoy full employment law protections under UK labour law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Contemporary literature indicates that there is significant support and assistance provided by schools for young autistic people, which has had a positive impact on the accessibility of jobs. Nevertheless, the employment rate of autistic people is unacceptably low in the UK. The current study investigated teachers' views on the preparation for employment of young autistic people in the UK. Methods. Interviews were conducted with individuals from the educational field and thematic analysis was used to explore the teachers' views regarding the factors that have an impact on the preparation for employment of young autistic people. Results. Four main themes emerged from the analysis. These themes included awareness, funding and government support, action plans and motivation. Conclusion. These results have critical implications for the educational field and future research, which are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the employee well-being from the perspectives of: first, individuals who have personal characteristics stereotypically associated with employment at the margins of the labour market and second, of individuals employed in jobs stereotypically associated with jobs at the margins of the labour market.Design/methodology/approach A set of OLS regressions is used to analyse a data set which has its origins in the Skills and Employment Surveys Series Data Set.Findings The expectation was that, for the individuals identified, their well-being as measured by a series of indicators would be relatively low. This proved to be not always the case. To illustrate: individuals without qualifications (relative to those who possess qualifications) reported positive experiences of well-being; and individuals in jobs which took little time to master (relative to those in jobs which took time to learn) also reported positive experiences of well-being.Research limitations/implications The subjective indicators of employee well-being available from the data set offer only a partial psychological perspective of the concept.Originality/value Although the subject of employee well-being is well-researched, this paper focusses upon an increasingly prevalent group of workers within the labour market, often described as “disadvantaged” (or, using Standing’s terminology, the “precariat”). Furthermore, it reports some outcomes which do not conform to the conventional wisdom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity, overweight and unemployment are interlinked, with debilitating effects on mortality, health, wellbeing and quality of life. Existing interventions to reduce overweight, obesity and unemployment have addressed these challenges independent of each other with limited success. The Adding to Social capital and individual Potential In disadvantaged REgions (ASPIRE) project will develop an innovative model using a combination of skills training and health and wellbeing interventions to improve health, wellbeing, quality of life and reduce overweight, obesity and unemployment in England and France. The aim of this paper is to outline the protocol for evaluating the ASPIRE project to examine the effectiveness of the intervention and clarify the mechanisms and contextual factors which interact to achieve outcomes.Methods: A mixed-method realist evaluation using a single-group before-and-after design will be used. The evaluation will consist of development of an initial programme theory, theory validation and refinement using quantitative and qualitative data to understand the causal mechanisms, contexts of implementation and their interactions that result in outcomes observed in ASPIRE. Primary outcomes that will be assessed are change in body weight and body mass index, reemployment and a rise on the ASPIRE participation ladder. The ASPIRE participation ladders consists of a series of 5 steps to engage participants in the project. The first step on the ladder is joining an ASPIRE hub with paid employment as the final step on the ladder. Secondary outcomes will be physical activity, diet quality, self-efficacy and health-related quality of life. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are appropriate in this study because the use of validated questionnaires and objective measures will demonstrate how much the intervention addressed outcomes related to weight loss and reemployment and the qualitative data (photovoice) will provide insights into the contexts and experiences that are unique to participants in the project.Discussion: The results from this evaluation will provide an understanding of how a model of health-related interventions which improve health, wellbeing and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle could reduce overweight, obesity and unemployment. The findings will enable the adaptation of this model for effective implementation in different contexts and circumstances.Trial Registration: ISRCTN registry: Study ID: ISRCTN17609001 , 24th February 2021 (Retrospectively registered). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The UK Pharmaceutical Industry is arguably one of the most important industries to consider in the negotiations following the Brexit vote. Providing tens of thousands of jobs and billions in tax revenue and research investment, the importance of this industry cannot be understated. At stake is the global leadership in the sector, which produces some of the field's most influential basic science and translation work. However, interruptions and losses may occur at multiple levels, affecting patients, researchers, universities, companies and government. Goals: By understanding the current state of pharmaceutical sector, the potential effect of leaving the European Union (EU) on this successful industry can be better understood. This paper aims to address the priorities for negotiations by collating the analyses of professionals in the field, leading companies and non-EU member states. Research methods: A government healthcare policy advisor and Chief Science Officer (CSO) for a major pharmaceutical firm were consulted to scope the paper. In these discussions, five key areas were identified: contribution, legislative processes, regulatory processes, research and outcomes, commercial risk. Multiple search engines were utilised for selecting relevant material, predominantly PubMed and Google Scholar. To supplement this information, Government documents were located using the "GOV.UK" publications tool, and interviews and commentaries were found through the Google News search function. Conclusion: With thorough investigation of the literature, we propose four foundations in the advancement of negotiations. These prioritise: negotiation of 'associated country' status, bilaterally favourable trade agreements, minimal interruption to regulatory bodies and special protection for the movement of workforce in the life sciences industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses data from the British Household Panel Survey to examine the relationship between parental wealth and three child outcomes in early adulthood. Parental wealth is found to have a very strong positive correlation with children's degree-level qualification attainment at age 25. This correlation is stronger at below-the-median wealth levels and remains strong after controlling for a wide range of confounding family characteristics. There is also evidence of a positive correlation between parental wealth and children's employment probability and earnings. However, for both labour market outcomes the parental wealth gradient is rather weak and for the employment outcome the effect is largely mediated by children's education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to adopt the principles of labour economics, behavioural economics and social influence to identify constraints and enablers that influence people’s choices in relation to the labour market decisions.Design/methodology/approach A sequential empirical methodology has been adopted, where data from the British Household Panel Survey (2009) has been collected to explain various statuses of labour market activity, with a focus on workless-ness, across the categories of unemployment, being a student, disability, retirement and being a carer – differentiating for gender and age. The paper develops and substantiates the hypothesis theoretically and gives some indications using a multi-disciplinary approach.Findings The authors found that labour market opportunities, choices and achievements are affected by the interrelations and interactions of an individual’s demographic and psychological characteristics (such as age, gender, heuristics, perceptions, beliefs, attitude’s goals and ambitions) along with external factors (such as geographical, socio- cultural and economic conditions).Originality/value This study makes a unique contribution to labour economics as the authors abandon the traditional welfare approach and use a more general framework of capabilities and refined functioning to interpret how different types of constraints – ranging from socio-economic conditions and environmental background to specific features of individual processes of choices and decision making – affect preferences and functioning’s. The study also identifies how “under-employment” complements the use of BE/social influence in explaining labour market inactivity, and highlights how the findings of this study have important implications for policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that successive governments since the 1980s have struggled to establish the necessary foundations to enable the majority of young people to make effective and supported transitions from education to the labour market and, further, to create labour market conditions that protect and nurture young people's potential. The paper sets its analysis within a time-frame that began in 1981 and has come full circle in 2010 with the Labour Government's announcement of the Young Person's Guarantee. Whilst acknowledging that current economic conditions, and the predicted severe cuts in public spending, will make it difficult for an incoming government to make significant changes, the paper argues that new approaches are required to revitalise both the economy and individual life chances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper re-examines the link between new firm formation and subsequent employment growth. It investigates whether it is possible to have the wrong type of entrepreneurship—defined as new firm formation which leads to zero or even negative subsequent employment growth. It uses a very similar approach to that of Fritsch and Mueller (Regional Studies, 38(8), 961–976, 2004), confirming their findings that the employment impact of new firm formation is in three discrete phases. Then, using data for Great Britain, the paper shows the employment impact of new firm formation is significantly positive in the high-enterprise counties of Great Britain. However, for the low-enterprise counties, it shows that new firm formation has a negative effect on employment. Of the 15 low-enterprise regions, eight are Scottish (of nine Scottish regions in our data base) and three are North East Counties (of four). Our findings imply that having the “wrong type of entrepreneurship” is indeed possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the implications of outsourcing and offshoring for the productivity of business services in the UK. Official statistics indicate that business-service productivity has grown by over 20 per cent in the last 7 years at the same time as employment grew by 20 per cent. The paper considers possible factors that account for the simultaneous growth of employment and productivity. First, we discuss outsourcing and offshoring, and their role in enhancing productivity through greater specialization, standardization, and consolidation of business processes, and a shift to higher value-added services. Outsourcing of business services is interpreted as part of corporate restructuring, namely as the unbundling of corporate functions as well as vertical disintegration. Second, as some services become more like products, both low-skilled and high-skilled jobs are subjected to productivity growth through standardization and digitization. It is argued, however, that the future of business-service productivity is on a knife-edge, depending on the mix of two sources of productivity enhancement--namely greater standardization and capturing value from customized solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws attention to the innovative but neglected work of Hans Singer on the dynamics of unemployment. Influenced by Keynes, in the late 1930s Singer enquired into the relationship between the inflow into unemployment-resulting primarily from (involuntary) separations from employment-and the size of the resultant fluctuations in the level of unemployment. His focus was on the determinants of the severity-measured in terms of how far unemployment rises-of recessions. We illustrate his approach by looking at quarterly data for the claimant count and its associated inflow and outflow in the UK over the period 1989-2003, a period which includes one major recession episode. In addition to drawing attention to Singer's ideas, the paper also extends his model by taking into account recent empirical evidence on the behaviour of one of the key variables in his model. We argue that, with this extension, Singer's elegant and parsimonious model of unemployment dynamics is a useful complement to Keynes's ideas on the fluctuations in aggregate demand and output, and is of contemporary relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – To examine the experience of agency employment for workers and employers' use of agency workers in Britain to evaluate competing claims made about this form of work. Design/methodology/approach – This paper draws on results from three recent representative surveys of employment in Britain to examine the current nature and experience of agency work: the Labour Force Survey; the Workplace Employment Relations Survey and the Working in Britain, 2000 Survey. Findings – The findings indicate that there is little evidence of the purported association between agency work and the emergence of the ‘knowledge economy’, as suggested by some. Turning to employers' use of agency labour, it is found that this has been driven by pressures relating to labour costs, possibly reflecting short-term considerations. As for workers' experience of agency employment, this paper reports their dissatisfaction with many aspects of agency work, resulting in low levels of commitment and high anxiety about their work situation. Practical implications – Whilst the use of agency workers may provide short-term benefits for organisations there is considerable evidence that, in the absence of remedial action, a number of challenges are likely to emerge for human resource practitioners. In particular, organisations may incur longer-term costs through extensive utilisation of employment agency labour. Originality/value – Agency work has grown rapidly but little is known about short-term experiences or longer term implications. The paper fills a gap in knowledge about the current nature of agency work, and provides an empirical assessment of competing claims about this form of work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last 5 years, the UK government has increased support for and resources to community development projects and strategies. These interventions have been deployed to assist the state address key issues of social exclusion notably at neighbourhood level. The thrust for tackling social exclusion and therefore the growth in community development can be linked to New Labour's adherence to a neo-liberal agenda. The two articles and the working paper considered here reflect this expansion of activity and articulate some of the central issues and challenges facing community development. The central problem for community development appears to be that whilst it has secured a more prominent place within contemporary social policies, it is in danger of losing its ability effectively to address the expressed needs of local commnunitties. Hence the development we are witnessing can be considered to be a case of conditional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lone parents and their children experience higher than average levels of adverse health and social outcomes, much of which are explained by high rates of poverty. Many high income countries have attempted to address high poverty rates by introducing employment requirements for lone parents in receipt of welfare benefits. However, there is evidence that employment may not reduce poverty or improve the health of lone parents and their children.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies reporting lone parents' accounts of participation in welfare to work (WtW), to identify explanations and possible mechanisms for the impacts of WtW on health and wellbeing. Twenty one bibliographic databases were searched. Two reviewers independently screened references and assessed study quality. Studies from any high income country that met the criteria of focussing on lone parents, mandatory WtW interventions, and health or wellbeing were included. Thematic synthesis was used to investigate analytic themes between studies.Results: Screening of the 4703 identified papers and quality assessment resulted in the inclusion of 16 qualitative studies of WtW in five high income countries, USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, covering a variety of welfare regimes. Our synthesis found that WtW requirements often conflicted with child care responsibilities. Available employment was often poorly paid and precarious. Adverse health impacts, such as increased stress, fatigue, and depression were commonly reported, though employment and appropriate training was linked to increased self-worth for some. WtW appeared to influence health through the pathways of conflict and control, analytical themes which emerged during synthesis. WtW reduced control over the nature of employment and care of children. Access to social support allowed some lone parents to manage the conflict associated with employment, and to increase control over their circumstances, with potentially beneficial health impacts.Conclusion: WtW can result in increased conflict and reduced control, which may lead to negative impacts on mental health. Availability of social support may mediate the negative health impacts of WtW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many children with developmental language disorder (DLD) have emotion recognition and regulation difficulties, but there are currently no known interventions enhancing emotional awareness in this population. This study explores the impact of parents' perspectives regarding children with DLD emotional understanding through a parent-led online emotion recognition (ER) intervention. Ten parents of children with DLD aged 6–11 participated in the study. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline design was employed, allowing for a rigorous analysis of changes in parental beliefs over time. Weekly data were collected through the Parents' Beliefs About Children's Emotions Questionnaire. Interviews were also conducted to gain deeper insights into parents' perceptions regarding the ER skills of their children. Results indicated that parents' beliefs about the need for guiding and supporting their child's ER skills increased over the intervention. Interviews also supported this, and three main themes were generated. The intervention program increased parents' awareness of (a) the importance of ER for children with DLD, (b) emotion-focused communication and engagement with their child, and (c) the integration of emotions into daily life. This study is the first known study that explores parents' beliefs about children with DLD ER skills, highlighting the importance of supporting parents through accessible interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the present paper has been to use a simple diagrammatic technique to decompose actual durations of unemployment experienced by three cohorts of British males into the effects of spell duration and spell recurrence, it has been suggested that although the youngest cohort experiences the shortest average spells of unemployment, the concentration of unemployment within that cohort is similar to the older cohorts because of extensive spell recurrence. Spell recurrence also explains much of the high concentration of unemployment among a small number of each cohort over the three-year period 1971-3. Further analysis of the problem requires disaggregated data in order to see which individuals are particularly at risk, and more detailed cohort data which give direct evidence on the timing and duration of spells of unemployment. The major policy prescription which stems from the present paper is that spell duration is not the sole criterion for evaluating the unemployment problem. To the extent that spell repetition is involuntary and that benefit eligibility when unemployed rests on previous uninterrupted employment, the short term unemployed may constitute an important concern for social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]