Understanding age and the labour market (original) (raw)

This report provides evidence about labour market outcomes in the UK for different age groups. Data from the Quarterly Labour Force Survey is analysed using a generational approach, alongside evidence and policy reviews. The implications of an ageing society are explored, providing a significant contribution to a more evidenced-based debate on generational fairness. The report looks at: • a range of labour market indicators: economic activity, inactivity, unemployment and the composition of employment; • employment projections to 2022 by industry and occupation; • employer policy and practice, covering education and training, recruitment, non-standard working, job retention, progression and transition to retirement; and • national policies on education and training, age discrimination, redundancy, maternity and paternity support, childcare, flexible working, employee protection and pensions. CONTENTS Executive summary 1 Introduction 2 Data analysis 3 Evidence review 4 Policy review 5 Conclusions Notes References Appendix Acknowledgements About the authors List of figures 1 Economic activity rates by cohort 2 Economic activity rates for people with no qualifications by cohort 3 Unemployment rates by age cohort 4 Unemployment rates for people with no qualifications by age cohort 5 Employment rates by age cohort 6 The percentage of low-paid employees by age cohort 7 The percentage of part-time workers by cohort and gender 8 Percentage of employees in temporary work by cohort 9 Self-employment by age group, 1993-2013 10 Underemployment by age group, 1998-2013 11 The percentage of employees in low-status-occupation jobs by cohort 12 Change in employment by age and occupation, 2003-13, and projected total change in jobs, 2012-22 (millions) 13 Employment by broad industry sector, 1998-2013 (millions) 14 Proportion of low-paid workers in each sector, 2013 Understanding age and the labour market Alongside many workers wanting to work less, there is also an issue of underemployment, with a significant proportion of the workforce, particularly young people, wanting to work more hours. There is a mismatch between the part-time jobs available to many young people and their desire for full-time employment. Labour market progression is inhibited by working part-time, particularly for women with childcare responsibilities, and access to training is often limited for those working part-time, further limiting career development.