employment

Health, employment and economic change, 1973-2009: repeated cross sectional study

Paper that looks at how the relation between occupational background, ill health, and economic activity has changed over the period 1973 to 2009, following an approach described in a paper published in the BMJ in 1996.

The research in the original paper was done to understand why falls in unemployment following the peaks of recessions in 1986 and 1990 were not accompanied by equal increases in employment.

Poverty and inequality in 2020: impact of changes in the structure of employment

Report concerned with the impact of future changes in employment structures and pay patterns on income inequality and poverty.

The report findings suggest that:
• relative poverty and inequality are set to rise by 2020 as a result of changes to the structure of employment and future changes in the tax and benefit system
• absolute poverty is likely to be aff ected very little by those changes
• to mitigate increases in poverty and inequality, a very precise and targeted approach to policy, focusing on households in poverty, will be required.

Employment status and health: understanding the health of the economically inactive population in Scotland

Although the association between health and unemployment has been well examined, less attention has been paid to the health of the economically inactive (EI) population. Scotland has one of the worst health records compared to any Western European country and the EI population account for 23% of the working age population.

The aim of this study is to investigate and compare the health outcomes and behaviours of the employed, unemployed and the EI populations (further subdivided into the permanently sick, looking after home and family [LAHF] and others) in Scotland.

Growing the care market: turning a demographic challenge into an economic opportunity

Stimulation of the care market can not only help to meet demand but can turn the challenges of an ageing population into a driver for economic growth – with new opportunities for existing providers, small scale start-ups and health and care technologies. This paper is designed to kick off that debate and look at some of the key challenges and opportunities in developing a new care economy.

Minimum wage: maximum impact

Paper that steps back from the current annual debate about the appropriate but small rise in the value of the minimum wage to ask a bolder question: are there more radical reforms of the minimum wage that could raise living standards in the years ahead? It discusses what happens in labour markets where the minimum wage is much higher than it is in Britain today. It also asks whether a smarter design could do more to benefit the groups that are most in need of higher wages?

Hidden talents: a statistical overview of the participation patterns of young people aged 16-24

Document that offers a start point for the LocalGovernment Association (LGA) commissioned researchto inform the Hidden Talents programme. It reviewsavailable statistics, data and commentary to establish what can be reasonably deduced to inform policy and work in response to young people aged 16–24 years who are not in employment, education or training (NEET).