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Is the economic climate easing, and are we likely to see a better recruitment market over the next few months? At the moment the signals are mixed, which means that job security, or for many people the chances of getting back into work, remain precarious. (more…)

“Now is the Winter of Our Discontent”. The opening words of Shakespeare’s Richard III were used to describe the profound industrial unrest that took place in 1978-9 Schools and airports closed for lack of workers, and ambulance drivers struck,. For several months the country was riven by strikes. Rubbish piled high in the street. Thousands of petrol stations were closed. Schools and airports closed for lack of workers, and ambulance drivers struck, grave diggers in Liverpool downed tools. (more…)

A fifty seven year old man came to see me. He had come to this country as a young man, a refugee from war in his homeland. His immediate need when arriving in the UK was to earn money to send home and he got himself the first job that he could, a fairly menial job which paid relatively well given what he was used to, but which did not stretch or challenge him in any way. (more…)

A report published yesterday suggested that the children of working mothers were likely to be less healthy than those whose mothers remained at home. The report, based on a survey of 5 year olds across Britain, found that those whose mothers juggled family and working life watched more television and had a less healthy diet. It is the sort of report which will inflame passions, re-opening the divide between those who believe that mothers should work, and those who do not. But does it really tell us anything at all? (more…)

This weekend we saw the first indications of how public spending cuts will impact on the working landscape. The Schools Minister suggested that education departments will save money by reducing top tier management; schools and colleges are likely to share heads and deputy heads. (more…)

We have reached the point, common to all recessions, at which economic growth is beginning to recover whilst unemployment continues to rise. History suggests that an improvement in the employment market lags about two years behind economic recovery. And this raises an interesting question. (more…)

The Centre for Social Justice have proposed that the state subsidise the salaries of low paid workers, so that they can earn more than if they were on benefits. In this way, the Centre argues, people will be encouraged to come off benefits and return to work, at a lower cost to the state. (more…)

We face two economic, career-impacting possibilities as the second half of the working year begins. On the face of it the most benign appears to be the most likely. But we live in a world of uncertainties and it would be prudent to ensure that we have a Plan B in case the worse occurs. (more…)

There is nobody with a job in one sixth of all homes. That figure is likely to increase over the next few months. If you are one the many unemployed, what can you do short of waiting for things to improve? (more…)

The CBI have called on the government to spend £125m on providing 50,000 new youth apprenticeships. Under the plans each participating employer would receive £2,500 for every apprentice it took on. The government has allocated £500m to a recruitment subsidy fund, the CBI sees the cost of the apprenticeship scheme as coming from this fund. (more…)