Government can get Britain working where the Tories failed

Commenting on the publication today of the government’s Get Britain Working white paper TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: 

“The Conservatives failed to get Britain working. They left behind a toxic legacy of insecure work and falling living standards, alongside rising youth unemployment and record levels of economic inactivity due to ill health.

“The Government is right to focus on creating more good-quality and secure jobs and investing in our public services. We know that decent treatment at work delivers higher employment rates, improved health and stronger growth.

“It is right to ensure that young people who are seeking work are helped to find a job or training. Positive early experiences in the jobs market are vital for young people’s future life chances. They must be supported to take part, not faced with self-defeating sanctions.

“Success will also depend on ministers making the investment that’s needed in health services and quality training. Jobcentre staff must have a central role in redesigning their services, and devolution must never come at the cost of staff terms and conditions.”

Earlier this month, the latest labour market data from the ONS showed that:

• Vacancies fell by 35,000, the 28th monthly fall in a row 
• Youth unemployment rose to 13.7%, the highest rate since 2020, with the number of young people in long-term unemployment increasing by 83% over the past year 
• Inactivity from long-term sickness remains very high at 2.78 million