Reacting to the launch of the Pathways Into Employment report and plans for a new Government White Paper, Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy at the BCC, said:
“The Government is right to focus on getting more people into jobs and giving local areas the tools to do it.
“Firms are struggling to find and keep the staff they need, with sectors such as construction and engineering badly hit. This is holding back business investment and putting upward pressure on wages – feeding into inflation and higher interest rates for longer.
“Government and employers have a role to play in removing barriers to work and helping people access and stay in employment. We need better, more joined-up employment support for skills, careers and health care – together with flexible workplace policies and investment in training.
“It’s good to see proposals to help young people get the skills and experience they need to thrive in work.
“The establishment of a Labour Market Advisory Board is positive and it’s important the Government also gets the view from business on the frontline.
“As well as helping people into work, more must be done to help them stay in work when they experience ill-health. That means helping employers to access high quality, affordable occupational health services and removing the tax on workplace health and wellbeing packages.
“People are at the heart of every business. We look forward to working with Government over the coming months, linking them to businesses to get the grassroots answers to permanently tackling these challenges.”
