“The fall in unemployment is good news. However, the government is still facing a huge and intractable youth unemployment problem. Its policy of increasing labour market regulation and imposing more burdens on employers is extremely unhelpful – and is still continuing despite all the rhetoric from Downing Street. Just this month, we have had the imposition of the EU agency workers directive, which the government decided to implement immediately, and new pensions obligations will be imposed on employers later in the year. These are poor policies to be pursuing in the depths of a recession.”

Notes to editors

To arrange an interview with an IEA spokesperson, please contact Stephanie Lis, Director of Communications: 020 7799 8909, slis@iea.org.uk

The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.

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