Britain way ahead of Europe on employment
Department for Work And Pensions , 23 February 2005
Britain would have four million fewer people in work if it had the same average employment rate as the European Union, UK Minister for Work Jane Kennedy said. Ms Kennedy also said two million less women would have jobs and more than a million people over 55 would be workless if Britain's employment rate was the same as the average EU rate.
While the rest of the EU still faced a significant challenge to meet employment targets set in Lisbon in 2000, Britain had already achieved and exceeded these and was now aiming way beyond them with its aspirational target of an 80 per cent employment rate, she added.
"The key to tackling worklessness has been our groundbreaking labour market policies. They have transformed the former passivity of the welfare state - where finding a job or claiming benefits were accidental happenings in the lives of workless people - into active engagement based on rights to financial support balanced by responsibilities to look for work with help tailored to the individual.
"I am proud to say that in terms of employment the UK is a star performer. Employment is up by 300,000 in the last year alone and more than two million since 1997. At 74.9 per cent our employment rate is one of the highest ever and the highest of all the G7 major industrialized nations.
"The number of people on incapacity benefits has now peaked after decades when the only way was up. We have now seen those numbers begin to fall - a very slight improvement but important," said Ms Kennedy. (The Minister was talking at the Work Foundation seminar on Tackling Worklessness - Delivering Employment Opportunity for All which was held in London.)
She went on to outline where Britain goes from here. The Department for Work and Pensions Five Year Strategy published earlier this month set a long term aspiration of an 80 per cent employment rate.
To achieve such a rate, another 2.5 million people would need to be in work and to ensure prosperity is shared amongst all, Ms Kennedy said this could mean 1 million fewer people on incapacity benefit, 300,000 fewer lone parents on benefit and 1 million more older workers in jobs.
The recent strategy also detailed plans for changes to incapacity benefit and ways to build on the success to date of getting key groups such as lone parents, older workers and ethnic minorities back into the workplace.
The Work Foundation event was attended by representatives from local authorities, voluntary organizations, trade unions, employers and think tanks.
Department for Work And Pensions , 23 February 2005
Britain would have four million fewer people in work if it had the same average employment rate as the European Union, UK Minister for Work Jane Kennedy said. Ms Kennedy also said two million less women would have jobs and more than a million people over 55 would be workless if Britain's employment rate was the same as the average EU rate.
While the rest of the EU still faced a significant challenge to meet employment targets set in Lisbon in 2000, Britain had already achieved and exceeded these and was now aiming way beyond them with its aspirational target of an 80 per cent employment rate, she added.
"The key to tackling worklessness has been our groundbreaking labour market policies. They have transformed the former passivity of the welfare state - where finding a job or claiming benefits were accidental happenings in the lives of workless people - into active engagement based on rights to financial support balanced by responsibilities to look for work with help tailored to the individual.
"I am proud to say that in terms of employment the UK is a star performer. Employment is up by 300,000 in the last year alone and more than two million since 1997. At 74.9 per cent our employment rate is one of the highest ever and the highest of all the G7 major industrialized nations.
"The number of people on incapacity benefits has now peaked after decades when the only way was up. We have now seen those numbers begin to fall - a very slight improvement but important," said Ms Kennedy. (The Minister was talking at the Work Foundation seminar on Tackling Worklessness - Delivering Employment Opportunity for All which was held in London.)
She went on to outline where Britain goes from here. The Department for Work and Pensions Five Year Strategy published earlier this month set a long term aspiration of an 80 per cent employment rate.
To achieve such a rate, another 2.5 million people would need to be in work and to ensure prosperity is shared amongst all, Ms Kennedy said this could mean 1 million fewer people on incapacity benefit, 300,000 fewer lone parents on benefit and 1 million more older workers in jobs.
The recent strategy also detailed plans for changes to incapacity benefit and ways to build on the success to date of getting key groups such as lone parents, older workers and ethnic minorities back into the workplace.
The Work Foundation event was attended by representatives from local authorities, voluntary organizations, trade unions, employers and think tanks.
