Making It Work

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This paper makes the case for innovation in the jobs market. Few issues have as acute a need for innovation. Unemployment levels remain high, particularly for young people and in some local areas. Under-employment means many are working fewer hours than they would like. People previously classed as economically inactive (including those with health problems and disabilities) now need to find work.

The (low end of the) Labour Market System

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Insecure employment can mean individuals regularly moving between work and benefits. To date a set of policy approaches have focused on supporting individuals into work through supply-side labour market programmes, but these have been effective only in part and have reached a point of diminishing returns. It is clearly not enough to rely on the work programme as the sole source of innovation in this field.

More systematic innovation across many parts of the labour market system is needed; to create new jobs markets, to support self-employment and to develop new and more effective ways of linking individuals to work. No one institution or government department currently owns this problem in its entirety, and innovation is therefore also needed in orchestrating this system and ensuring it works effectively. This paper sets out how a more systematic approach could be taken.

We are currently exploring further work in this area and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Please do get in touch with Jo Casebourne at jo.casebourne@nesta.org.uk

Published
October 2012

Authors
Jo Casebourne and Nick Coleman