Long-term unemployment a warning sign in the labour market
18 May 2023
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In the Media
Prof. Len Shackleton writes for The Express
17 May 2023
Markets and Morality
Housing and Planning
Prof. Len Shackleton appears on Times Radio
IEA Labour Market Expert Professor Len Shackleton has appeared on Times Radio to discuss the increasing trend of long-term unemployment since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Len said:
“I haven’t got an instant solution to this, but we need to look at what’s been happening over time – we had a situation where long-term unemployment was falling before COVID and we seem to have reversed that.
“One of the factors is that we stopped having as many work capability assessments, which are running at a fraction of the figure they were before COVID,
“We can also look at the processes by which people are taken as unfit for work. But I do agree that a lot of these people have very complex problems, and it’s not simply a question of stick, but a question of therapy and a question of working with people.
“I think we can improve on this…we really need to look at those who are coming in to inactivity and bring that number down.”
You can hear Len’s full appearance here (2:09:09)
Len said:
“I haven’t got an instant solution to this, but we need to look at what’s been happening over time – we had a situation where long-term unemployment was falling before COVID and we seem to have reversed that.
“One of the factors is that we stopped having as many work capability assessments, which are running at a fraction of the figure they were before COVID,
“We can also look at the processes by which people are taken as unfit for work. But I do agree that a lot of these people have very complex problems, and it’s not simply a question of stick, but a question of therapy and a question of working with people.
“I think we can improve on this…we really need to look at those who are coming in to inactivity and bring that number down.”
You can hear Len’s full appearance here (2:09:09)
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