Autumn launch for DWP's ground-breaking plan to boost employment among the unemployed and long-term sick

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to launch a "groundbreaking" new White Paper this Autumn which aims to get more unemployed and long-term sick people back into work

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is gearing up to unveil a "ground-breaking" new White Paper this Autumn, targeting the reintegration of unemployed and long-term sick individuals into the workforce. The Labour Government's advisors, tasked with addressing what's been dubbed 'the greatest employment challenge for a generation', convened for the first time on Monday with the Work and Pensions Secretary.

The newly established Labour Market Advisory Board, handpicked by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP, comprises specialists from the spheres of business, industrial relations, and academia. In its inaugural gathering, the board proposed fresh strategies to inform government efforts on economic inactivity, addressing fundamental reasons that keep people out of work such as health issues, and discussed how they can assist the government in achieving its goal of an 80 per cent employment rate.

This board is set to craft innovative concepts and proposals for the Work and Pensions Secretary to mull over as she embarks on reducing economic inactivity rates. Notably, the UK remains the sole G7 nation yet to see its employment and inactivity rates bounce back to pre-pandemic figures, a challenging legacy bequeathed by the former administration.

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Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP, remarked: "Spiralling inactivity is the greatest employment challenge for a generation, with a near record 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness. Addressing these challenges will take time, but we're going to fix the foundations of the economy and tackle economic inactivity."

"The board's knowledge, expertise and insight will help us to rebuild Britain as we deliver our growth mission, drive up opportunity and make every part of the country better off.", reports the Daily Record.

The Board's inaugural meeting will focus on the effects of ill-health on workforce inactivity and how the Government plans to assist more individuals into quality employment.

Recent data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Tuesday revealed that Scotland's unemployment rate for those aged 16 and over was 4.2 per cent from May to July this year. This figure represents a 0.5 per cent decrease from the previous quarter but remains higher than the overall UK unemployment rate of 4.1 per cent.

Paul Gregg, Chair of the Labour Market Advisory Board, commented: "Having studied the UK's labour market across several decades, it is clear that the current labour market faces a deep-seated set of challenges. We have seen a sharp increase in economic inactivity and long-term sickness, most notably in our young people post-pandemic."

"Further, real wage growth has been heavily suppressed for 15 years hitting living standards and government tax revenues. Reversing these trends will be key to ensuring the long-term prosperity of the UK's labour market."

The Secretary of State is set to reveal her strategy to give more power to local areas in order to address inactivity with tailored work, health, and skills initiatives, scheduled to be detailed in a White Paper this autumn.

Additionally, plans are in the pipeline for a new youth guarantee targeting 18-21 year olds, as well as a transformation of jobcentres, integrating them with the National Careers Service.

The awaited White Paper on the Plan to Get Britain Working is expected to be published in the autumn.