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Government watchdog slams Pathway to Work scheme |
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Date: 15/09/2010 |
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The Labour government's £760m Pathways to Work scheme, which aimed to move people off disability benefits and into work, has been criticised by a report by the government's spending watchdog the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
PAC said the scheme had a limited effect and when it did get someone into work it cost at least £6,000 a time. Between 2005 and 2009 the number of people on incapacity benefits reduced by just 125,000 and the committee said it could not be clear how many of these were due to the Pathways project.
The scheme aims to provide targeted support and earlier medical assessments. It has mainly been provided by private contractors, who are said to have performed worse than Jobcentre Plus. The report says that 'private providers performance was universally poor in helping claimants to go on the programme. They tended to cherry-pick their clients and still achieved only one-third of the targets for mandatory participants'.
PAC's Labour chairwoman Margaret Hodge said: "The Department for Work and Pensions deserves credit for attempting to tackle the intractable problem of moving people from incapacity benefits into work. But its key programme for doing so, Pathways to Work, was not well implemented and has had limited effect."
The current government is thought to be looking to run a similar scheme, based on payment-by-results.
Work and pensions minister Chris Grayling said: "This report is hugely disappointing and just underlines how misplaced many of the previous government's labour policies were. They just never got to grips with the challenges of getting people back to work."
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'Who you know' still matters for jobseekers |
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Date: 22/07/2010 |
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Research from Edinburgh Napier University's Employment Research Institute has proved the age-old theory that it is 'who you know' that is important for job hunters.
The research into the power of social networks reveals the more friends in employment jobseekers have, the more likely they are to get a job themselves.
The study indicates younger people (under 50) in employment have a significantly higher number of contacts and more regular interaction within their social networks compared with the 50-plus age group. This offers a wider diversity and quality of contacts.
Conversely, the findings show people over 50, who generally have fewer qualifications, rely more heavily on their smaller social networks and 'word of mouth' to get back into or remain in employment.
For the younger generation, the number of people they know overall is more important than whether those they know are employed or hold senior positions. Unemployed younger people also have much smaller long-term social networks than those in work and relatively fewer contacts who are in employment.
Kaberi Gayen, visiting researcher at Edinburgh Napier Employment Research Institute and co-author of the research, said: "With tight budgets and a tough economy, there are fewer jobs being advertised and organisations are increasingly seeking the most cost-effective recruitment methods. The 'who you know' theory is as important as ever in the job hunt. Younger people tend to have wider networks, which could be due to their greater use of new information and communication technologies."
"Over-50s are the age group that is most likely to be out of employment. With the current ageing population it is especially important to reduce barriers to older workers' employment. With employers using social networks in hiring, unemployed older people may remain out of this searching process and thereby out of work. Employment agencies, including Jobcentre Plus, have a responsibility to support and introduce older unemployed people to job opportunities."
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HR need for technology upgrade |
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Date: 14/07/2010 |
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According to a report from Towers Watson, budget cuts in HR departments during the recession saw a rise in the need to maximize performance from various aspects of the remaining team.
The Towers Watson survey reveals that HR professionals listed 'talent/performance management systems' as the most critical issue for HR departments, while 42 percent of the respondents listed talent management as the most important aspect of HR. As a result of this investment in remaining talent, "cost" was not at the top of the HR issues and as a result has led to a drastic increase in HR technology budgets.
During the recession, investments in HR technology didn't drastically decrease in line with other areas of the business. And now, in 2010, 83 percent of HR groups increasing or maintaining their tech budgets.
Speaking about the report, Tom Keebler, Global Practice Leader with Towers Watson, said: "Talent management technologies have unquestionably become one of the best ways for companies and HR departments to drive better employee performance and enterprise success following the recession.
"In spite of the initial costs, organizations are increasingly deploying new or enhanced systems, recognizing that efficient and effective HR processes enable the flexibility and agility employers need in an uncertain but growth-oriented business environment.
"HR's reliance on technology to achieve greater efficiency and cost savings during the recession allowed it to maintain and even grow HR technology budgets in a challenging business environment.
"As companies recover and budgets expand once again, leaders appear ready to make a forward-looking commitment to talent management systems that will reap substantial long-term rewards for the HR department, line managers and the broader organization."
According to the report, the most critical HR service delivery issues respondents face in 2010 include:
Talent/performance management systems (42 percent versus 35 percent in 2009);
Streamlining processes/systems (35 percent versus 35 percent in 2009, unchanged);
Increased involvement in strategic business-driven issues (27 percent versus 23 percent in 2009);
Defining human capital metrics and dashboards (22 percent versus 17 percent in 2009);
Recruiting/staffing services/systems (21 percent versus 12 percent in 2009.
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Transport minister advocates home working |
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Date: 12/07/2010 |
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Employers are to be urged by Norman Baker, a transport minister, to allow staff to work one day a fortnight from home as part of the government's drive to cut transport congestion.
Incentives could be introduced to encourage flexible working, and train companies will encouraged to overhaul how season tickets are sold, so people who only spend part of the week at an office are not penalised, the Telegraph has reported.
Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrats' transport minister, believes traditional travel patterns have to change if the coalition is to create the low-carbon economy it promised, and has instructed officials to work out how his ideas can be brought into practice.
"Part of my brief as a transport minister is to sometimes encourage you not to travel. I want to be the first virtual transport minister," he told the Telegraph.
"This isn't just pie in the sky; it could really work with just a little bit of flexibility."
To read this story in full, go to www.personnaltoday.com.
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Graduate recruiters 'lack policy on Facebook use' |
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Date: 07/07/2010 |
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Three-quarters of graduate recruiters are concerned that accessing candidate information available through Facebook and other online profiles could get in the way of a "fair and measurable" recruitment process. However, 41 per cent of organisations in the UK have rejected candidates through this method, a poll has shown.
These findings were unveiled at the Association of Graduate Recruiters Conference 2010 in Newport by recruitment firm Penna Barkers, which carried out a social media audit of 84 organisations. Despite concerns that line managers may look at candidates' details online, just 5 per cent of organisations have a clear policy on whether this information can be used in selection processes, the research found. "We found that most organisations didn't have a policy in place to explain to line managers whether they can go on Facebook before interviewing the candidates," Phillip Lane, head of research at Penna Barkers told PM.
The research also found a surprising lack of confidence among organisations when it came to managing their reputation online. Although 90 percent of organisations believe managing their reputation online is important, only 38 per cent felt able to do it well. There were also differing attitudes towards social media: 7 per cent of organisations actively embraced it while one in seven viewed it as dangerous.
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