[UK] Prime minister considers plans to entice over 50s back to work

The UK government is considering plans to encourage people over 50 and the long-term sick back into work to decrease labour shortages, SmallBusiness.co.uk reports.

Mel Stride - the UK’s work and pensions secretary - is drawing up the proposals and prioritising efforts to keep people in work in the first place.

One of the reforms reportedly under consideration is allowing people on long-term sickness benefits to keep some of those payments when they first return to work. Tax breaks to encourage the over-50s to return to work have also been discussed but are believed to be unworkable in practice.

In addition to these plans, Stride is due to publish a delayed white paper on the health and disability benefits system. At present, people who return to work and come off disability benefits have to begin the benefits process again if they are unable to maintain their job.

Jon Ashworth - the shadow work and pensions secretary - pledged that a Labour Government would allow people to return to their benefits without the need to requalify.

Boosting the workforce is key

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt have reportedly said that boosting the workforce will be a key priority for 2023 and a key feature of the Budget in March.

500,000 more working-age adults have dropped out of the UK labour force since the pandemic, making it more challenging for businesses to find talent.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continues to resist pleas from businesses to ease restrictions on immigration to fill job vacancies.

The government’s reluctance to allow more immigration has attracted criticism. Philip Hammond - former Chancellor of the Conservative party - told Andrew Marr on LBC, “We’re going to have to bring in hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to do the jobs that are not currently being done, which are depressing our GDP growth through the restaurants that are closed, the pubs that can’t open seven nights a week, and so on.”

Business leaders have also reportedly urged Mr Hunt to expand the Government’s shortage occupation list, which allows international workers to get visas to work in the UK. The Government, however, responded that this will not be possible following Brexit.

Source: SmallBusiness.co.uk

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

The UK government is considering plans to encourage people over 50 and the long-term sick back into work to decrease labour shortages, SmallBusiness.co.uk reports.

Mel Stride - the UK’s work and pensions secretary - is drawing up the proposals and prioritising efforts to keep people in work in the first place.

One of the reforms reportedly under consideration is allowing people on long-term sickness benefits to keep some of those payments when they first return to work. Tax breaks to encourage the over-50s to return to work have also been discussed but are believed to be unworkable in practice.

In addition to these plans, Stride is due to publish a delayed white paper on the health and disability benefits system. At present, people who return to work and come off disability benefits have to begin the benefits process again if they are unable to maintain their job.

Jon Ashworth - the shadow work and pensions secretary - pledged that a Labour Government would allow people to return to their benefits without the need to requalify.

Boosting the workforce is key

Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt have reportedly said that boosting the workforce will be a key priority for 2023 and a key feature of the Budget in March.

500,000 more working-age adults have dropped out of the UK labour force since the pandemic, making it more challenging for businesses to find talent.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak continues to resist pleas from businesses to ease restrictions on immigration to fill job vacancies.

The government’s reluctance to allow more immigration has attracted criticism. Philip Hammond - former Chancellor of the Conservative party - told Andrew Marr on LBC, “We’re going to have to bring in hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to do the jobs that are not currently being done, which are depressing our GDP growth through the restaurants that are closed, the pubs that can’t open seven nights a week, and so on.”

Business leaders have also reportedly urged Mr Hunt to expand the Government’s shortage occupation list, which allows international workers to get visas to work in the UK. The Government, however, responded that this will not be possible following Brexit.

Source: SmallBusiness.co.uk

(Link and quotes via original reporting)