NATIONAL EMPLOYER & PARTNERSHIP TEAM

Employer News

January 2018

Welcome to the January 2018 edition of Employer News.

The DWP National Employer and Partnership Team (NEPT) will be using this e-shot to communicate items of interest to Employers, Trade Associations and Partners.

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Today’s Labour Market Statistics

Headline News

Number in employment reaches record high

Official figures released today (24 January 2018) show that the employment rate is at a joint record high of 75.3%, with a record 32.2 million people in work.

Published 24 January 2018

From:

Department for Work and Pensions and The Rt Hon Esther McVey

This is a rise of 415,000 compared to last year’s figures.

The figures, released by the Office for National Statistics, also show that unemployment is at its lowest level since 1975.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey, said:

“We had a record-breaking 2017 for employment, and I’m delighted to see this trend continue as we enter the new year.

The number of people in work is at an all-time high and the unemployment rate has not been this low for over 40 years.

At this time of year, straight after Christmas, people might be feeling a squeeze on their finances. We’re determined to help people keep more of what they earn.

That’s why we’ve increased the National Living Wage, introduced Universal Credit to offer greater flexibility and taken millions of people out of income tax altogether by raising the tax-free personal allowance.

In 2017, at least 10 employment records were broken. The employment rate and the number of people in work, the number of women in work and black and minority ethnic employment all reached record highs during the year.”

Today’s employment figures also show:

• there are a record 810,000 vacancies in the economy at any one time
• the number of people in employment has increased by over 3 million since 2010
• the UK has the third highest employment rate in the G7
• the number of workers aged 50 plus has reached a record 10 million
• youth unemployment has fallen by over 40% since 2010

Separate figures also released today show there are 700,000 people claiming Universal Credit as the rollout of the new benefit continues, with 42% in employment.

Read the Labour Market Statistics – January 2018 from the Office for National Statistics.

Customer Service Excellence: Have your say!

The National Employer &  Partnership Team (NEPT) are keen to continue to make improvements to the services we provide for our customers and the customer experience. Key to this is gathering and responding to your feedback.

Thus we would be grateful if employer representatives could click on Survey Link Employers and trade bodies or partners click on Survey Link Partners or Trade Bodies to take part in a short survey.

Comments received, will be analysed and the outcomes published.  The information from the survey is used to make improvements to the services we provide. Survey closes on the 31 January 2018.

Autumn 2017 Budget Changes

Details of the package of support for Universal Credit announced on 22 November 2017 and the Secretary of State’s statement can be found on GOV.UK.

SAFERjobs

The UK has experienced a significant rise in the number of job scams over the past two years, according to SAFERjobs (Safe Advice for Employment and Recruitment). SAFERjobs now works with all of the UK’s top 10 job boards, and in partnership with DWP, BEIS, ‘Metropolitan Police, Trading Standards, City of London Police, the Home Office, and Action Fraud.

There are plenty of genuine opportunities in the labour market right now , however it is important that people learn to recognise the tell-tale signs of a fake job advert. Safer Jobs are working hard to raise awareness and educating the public on the potential risks facing job seekers, and combatting the fraudsters directly. It is important that DWP raises awareness with all its stakeholders, particularly genuine employers that we partner with, to ensure that they are not scammed also.

SAFERjobs investigates any situation reported by a job seeker about a potential scam, and will provide impartial advice on how to proceed to both employers and jobseekers. Please show your support for the Safer Jobs Free Campaign, for more information: https://www.safer-jobs.com/safer_employers.cfm

MENTAL HEALTH TOOLKIT

There has been a lot written about how to tackle mental ill health and promote wellbeing in the workplace. This toolkit will simplify your approach.

Business in the Community has partnered with Public Health England to produce a free, online toolkit to help every organisation support the mental health and wellbeing of its employees. It will help employers take positive actions to build a culture that champions good mental health and provides a greater understanding of how to help those who need more support.

This toolkit will help employers pick out the most valuable resources, and help to develop an approach that works. For larger organisations, the toolkit is also a useful resource to share with businesses in their supply chain and across their network.

Every organisation has an opportunity to support and develop a mentally healthy workforce and it doesn’t need to be complicated – this toolkit will help you understand and act, step by step.

https://wellbeing.bitc.org.uk/sites/default/files/mental_health_toolkit_for_employers_-_small.pdf

The National Employer and Partnership Team would like to say thank you to all Employers, Trade Associations and Partners for the significant contribution you have made to the fall in unemployment, demonstrated in the figures.   

                                              Edition 24/01/18