When I co-founded the Jobs Foundation, our initial idea was borne out of something simple: to champion business as the most potent poverty-busting tool that our society has. As many of us appreciate, a job isn’t just about a pay packet, but about dignity, aspiration and the chance to build a better future – which is why the role of businesses in creating these opportunities for people is so critical.
This belief has only crystalised in our journey from taking the Jobs Foundation from just an idea into a growing charity that supports businesses in creating even more opportunities. The first volume of our foundational research, ‘Two Million Jobs’, proved the vital role that businesses play as the cornerstone of local communities through creating jobs. Through writing our second volume, ‘Ladders of Opportunity’, I was profoundly inspired by the stories of people whose jobs and training connected them back into society, switching on their potential and confidence.
The report gathers stories from across the country of companies who are building pathways into work for those who might otherwise be left behind. To stress, these businesses are not acting out of charity, but out of the conviction that investing in people, especially those furthest from the labour market, is not only morally right, but commercially smart. If you take care of your people, they will be loyal and motivated employees – something I have heard countless times over the past months.
Take the Barnardo’s JOBS project. Few examples speak more powerfully to what social mobility looks like in practice. The scheme supports young people who have fallen out of education and struggled to find work. Participants receive training, mentoring, and crucially, a first chance to step into a job. In our interviews, we heard directly from young people who arrived on the programme with little confidence and no clear path, but who left with skills, experience and a renewed belief in themselves. For one participant, this meant moving from long-term unemployment into a secure retail job that opened the door to independent living. For another, it was about developing the skills to apply to be a police officer, as it was the police who had supported her so much in her early life. It’s important to remember that just because you haven’t started with much opportunity in life, you can still dream big. All you need you is that first step on the ladder.
This case, and others like it in the report, lead us to several important policy lessons.
First, our welfare system must incentivise companies to hire individuals who are long-term sick who both can and want to work. The constricting grip of our current system doesn’t let people go easily, forcing people not to dare risk employment if their immediate income is in jeopardy. Businesses are willing to open their doors, but the incentives and structures must make that easier.
Secondly, schools, colleges and post-secondary institutions are pivotal to connecting communities with employment. These institutions must work hand in glove with local employers to meet their skills needs, and when done well, can be one of the most effective pipelines for talent, helping young people avoid falling into the NEET trap.
Third, older workers are a crucial and underutilised demographic. If society expects people to work longer, then we must tackle the ageism that pervades workplaces, and we must think harder about how to get unemployed over-50s into meaningful jobs. While some companies are leading the way, too many still overlook the experience and value that older employees bring.
Fourth, employers need fresh ways of finding talent. Too many capable people are screened out by traditional CV-based recruitment models. Flexible hiring must be used, especially for young people and those with mental health challenges, who may not shine on a CV but will thrive in the right environment.
Finally, teaching ‘soft skills’ is critical. Many from deprived backgrounds simply haven’t been taught how to write a CV, how to prepare for an interview, how to dress for work or how to respond to standard questions. Employers who invest in equipping candidates with these skills can bring new talent and perspectives into organisations – which benefits everyone.
What unites all these lessons is the recognition that businesses are already tackling some of our most pressing social and economic challenges – as you can see in our ‘Ladders of Opportunity’ report, released today. In a country where growth has been sluggish, productivity weak and too many people left on the sidelines, these businesses show the way forward.
We know that welfare to work is likely to be one of the defining economic issues of our time. If the Government fails in bringing more people from the fringes of the labour market into work, we risk millions being left in a purgatory of benefits and lost potential. Plus of course, with currently over nine million economically inactive individuals in the UK, this puts a huge brake on any growth and productivity ambitions that are vital if we are to support our most vulnerable.
So, to achieve this, the Government must recognise that businesses are the driving force to support people and productivity back into good health. Let’s champion them for this vital work and support them to do even more.
Brace yourself, but I don’t mind Michelle Obama. Sure, she might prattle on about the evils of white, corporate America too much for my liking, but the former First Lady certainly doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and this was on full display at this week’s SXSW festival in London. Addressing the crowd, Obama warned young people […]
Youth unemployment is one of those issues that politicians across the spectrum agree is a scandal. The debate tends to focus on training programmes, welfare incentives, employer subsidies. These things matter. But a report published today by the Jobs Foundation points to something more fundamental: the businesses that would employ young people are not growing […]
Too many of Britain’s next generation are in danger of being cut adrift from the world of work. The latest figures show that one in eight of those aged 16-24 are currently not in education, employment or training – or NEETs. Such a figure – which equates to more 957,000 people – has been unimaginable […]
