糖心TV

The latest UK labour market data presents a mixed picture, with the employment rate showing modest improvement despite earlier indications of weakening demand. The unemployment rate has risen to 4.4%, continuing its upward trajectory, while the UK Claimant Count increased in February 2025. These suggest a persistent challenge of insufficient job creation, resulting in growing benefit dependency.

These are critical times for career guidance and counselling in education. The implementation of up-to-date guidance and counselling in education must not be seen as something separated from educational reform. There is a critical tension between progressive and regressive tendencies in both education and careers work. The case for reform requires careful attention leading to innovative solutions.

I attended a meeting with Sir Mark Walport recently where he said that academics need to work more effectively with government policymakers. The 糖心TV Institute for Employment Research (IER), of which I am Director, does this almost on a daily basis. Working with the Foresight team, we have just produced a number of short reports to help better communicate research to policymakers and academics on the future of skills and skill needs across the life-course, for example.

Despite all of the talk about inter-generational betrayal by the old of the young, the largest ratio to vote leave was amongst low-skilled workers (70%). Their frustration and desire for something to change is understandable. They are in bad jobs, are too often stuck in these jobs and jostle more in these jobs with migrant workers. Their situation is a symptom of three developments that have occurred in the UK labour market since the economic crisis. First, job polarisation has consolidated. Second, non-standard employment has increased in the worst jobs. Third, UK-born workers have benefitted less from employment restructuring.