Our response to Government welfare reforms
Welfare reforms: “Good start, but we also need more jobs”
IMMEDIATE REACTION
Welfare reforms: “Good start, but we also need more jobs”
In response to Liz Kendall’s announcement of new plans to reform the welfare system to incentivise work, Matthew Elliott, President of the Jobs Foundation, has urged the Government to remember that they also need to create the right policy environment for businesses to create the new jobs for people to fill.
“We welcome the Government’s new plans to tackle the growing issue of economic inactivity and worklessness, and in particular, the new ‘Right to try’ guarantee which will mean that more people can experience the opportunity of a job.
“But welfare changes are only one half of the puzzle, we also need new jobs for people to fill.
“The Government’s ambition to get two million people into work is a good one, but there are currently only 800,000 jobs vacancies, so the Government needs to support businesses to create an additional 1.2 million jobs for people to fill.
“To Get Britain Working, we also need to see a policy environment that allows businesses to thrive so that they can get on with creating new jobs and providing high quality training. Alongside welfare reform, the Government must recalibrate the Employment Rights Bill to encourage job creation and reconsider the upcoming rise to employer NICs to stop penalising business owners for employing more people.”