labour market

Youth labour's lost

Report that presents research into the issue of youth unemployment in the UK. Rather than potential macroeconomic and global causes, it is concerned with the way the education system and labour market have been shaped by policy so as to produce what we describe as a 'young person’s penalty'.

Futureskills Scotland: product market strategies and workforce skills - full report

The aims of this project were to use case studies of companies, to obtain a better understanding of the links between employers’ product markets strategies and the demand for skills. It sought to identify the conditions and constraints in which firms’ product market strategies affect skills utilisation, and explore the potential implications for public policy.

Ethnic minorities in the labour market: dynamics and diversity

This research examines the labour market performance of Britain’s ethnic minorities. In particular, it emphasises the diversity of their experience and the dynamic change in the relative positions of ethnic groups between 1991 and 2001. While some groups have improved their labour market position relative to white people, substantial disadvantage remains, both in access to jobs and in earnings once in employment.

Review of evidence on the impact of economic downturn on disadvantaged groups

This working paper reviews the evidence on the impact of the last three economic recessions on the PSA 8 (indicator 2) disadvantaged groups (that is, disabled people, ethnic minorities, lone parents, people aged 50 and over, the 15 per cent lowest qualified, and those living in the most deprived local authority wards), as well as ex-offenders and the self-employed.

Welfare that works : beyond the New Deal

Paper offering a critique of the New Deal scheme for the unemployed in the UK. It argues that the policy can be made more effective if the structure of the welfare-to-work system is changed to more closely reflect economic realities. It recommends aligning the institutions of the welfare-to-work system with the needs of employers and the disadvantaged which should have the effect of providing better jobs for the low-skilled and better workers for the private sector.