With an aging population, widespread labour shortages and restrictions on immigration, many UK businesses are struggling to find people to fill their job vacancies. These challenges hold back economic growth and fuel high inflation, and wage rises. Yet the UK still has more people out of work, and fewer employed, than it did before the start of the COVID pandemic.

To tackle this growing problem the government has launched the Back to Work plan, an initiative providing investment of £2.5bn to boost five key programmes over the next five years aimed at getting over 1.1million people on long-term unemployment or long-term health conditions or disability back into work. The five programmes are:

• NHS Talking Therapies

384,000 more people with mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety disorders will benefit from additional therapy sessions aimed at getting them back to work.

• Individual Placement and Support (IPS)

100,000 people with severe mental illness will be helped to find and keep jobs. IPS aims to find them employment that matches their interests and skills, then offer continued support once they are in post.

• Universal Support

100,000 people on long-term unemployment will be matched each year with existing vacancies and helped to find work while strengthening work search requirements for job seekers through all stages of their Universal Credit claim.

• WorkWell

Will help support people at risk of falling into long-term unemployment due to sickness or disability, through integrated work and health support. Integrated Care Systems across England will be supported to develop a localised work and health strategy, and then services will be provided in approximately 15 pilot areas.

• Restart 

500,000 more people will benefit from extending and expanding the Restart scheme in England and Wales for another 2 years. Expanding tailored, intensive support to people who have been on Universal Credit for more than six months as opposed to previously nine, helping them to tackle barriers to entering employment through coaching, CV and interview skills, and training.

Only time will tell to what extent these initiatives alleviate staffing challenges that businesses may be facing.

 

This article reflects the position at the date of publication 19 December 2023. If you are reading this at a later date you are advised to check that that position has not changed in the time since. 

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