2020 has been a challenging year. COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated unemployment and had a disproportionate effect on young people, with youth employment falling to its lowest rate since 2014. It has also stalled progress being made in closing the disability employment gap.
Continue readingAptem Employ: Three predictions for employability in 2021
2020 was a year filled with unprecedented disruption. Globally, remote working became increasingly normal, enacting a digital transformation that looks set to create long-term changes to the world of work that are likely to remain throughout 2021 and beyond.
As we move into the new year, with the hope of recovery on the horizon, it is time to ask: what is the future of employability? Here are three predictions for how the employability will recover and evolve.
Continue readingNew ONS figures reveal impact of coronavirus on economy and jobs
The UK has continued to be hit hard by the pandemic. Now enduring a third lockdown, many sectors are struggling, and economic performance and labour force data show steady declines. However, many companies are successfully riding the pandemic by adopting digital and remote working capabilities.
Continue readingDiversity and inclusion: women, employment and the pandemic
Before Covid-19 hit, things were starting to look up for women at work. Equality was becoming more of a concrete possibility and less of a hazy dream. But this achievement has quickly been undermined by the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on working women.
Continue readingThe shape of employability in 2021
2020 has been a challenging year. COVID-19 has dramatically accelerated unemployment and had a disproportionate effect on young people, with youth employment falling to its lowest rate since 2014. It has also stalled progress being made in closing the disability employment gap.
Continue readingReport the truth or a well-meaning fiction?
Apprenticeship providers are rightly interested in tracking learner progress. But what kind of data and tools do management need to get the facts rather than a well-meaning fiction?
Continue readingHow technology can deliver diversity and inclusion in employability
Diversity and inclusion are pressing issues in employability. Technology can help deliver on this agenda by permitting real flexibility and personalisation. Read on to find our how.
Continue readingDesigning a data strategy for the employability sector
Understanding human psychology is invaluable when supporting someone effectively on their journey into work. Employability providers possess increasingly large datasets that, if used well, contain significant insights that could support the provision of a better service. The challenge for a sector under increasing pressure is knowing how to extract meaningful direction from the mountains of data at their fingertips.
Continue readingSupporting effective personalisation in employability services
Personalisation has become a buzzword in employability. But has the employment sector achieved personalisation and, if not, what should it look like?
Continue readingSolving unemployment at scale – a response to ONS data
As the ONS has reported, unemployment is rising. The 16-24 age group, who typically occupy roles in some of the worst hit sectors including hospitality, entertainment and the arts, have been particularly affected. However, the spike in unemployment caused by COVID-19 is pan-generational. In August 2020, the claimant count reached 2.7 million people, an increase of 120.8% since March 2020. Notably, there is a significant rise in the number of people unemployed for up to six months, up 202,000 over the year to 988,000. This poses an additional challenge; it’s widely recognised that the longer someone is out of work, the harder it is for them to re-enter the workforce.
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