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The latest from the Institute for Employment Studies

The following are extracts from recent IES research, publications and press notices. Follow the links for the full story.

Click on ‘newsletters’ for a selection of features from our recent newsletters, HR Insight and Employment Studies, and ‘register’ to join our news mailing lists.

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• Policy conference keynote speaker announced
  This year's IES policy conference keynote speaker is Anne Milton, the new Minister for Public Health. The conference theme is The Fit for Work? Securing the Health of the Working Age Population. It is aimed at all those with a strategic interest in policy affecting the health of the working age population.
  Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Fall in unemployment could be the calm before the storm
  There are some encouraging signs of stronger labour market demand in this month's figures, with unemployment down by 34,000, and employment growing by 160,000. Vacancies have also risen again, though they remain well below pre-recession levels. However, it is of serious concern that long-term unemployment has increased again to over three-quarters of a million. Urgent policy action is needed to support this group back into work to avoid the damaging long-term social impacts experienced in previous recessions.
  Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Healthy Workplaces Milton Keynes Pilot
  The Healthy Workplaces Milton Keynes (HWMK) pilot was one of several pilots designed by HSE to test various models of delivering advice and support of occupational health, safety, absence management and return-to-work issues to small and medium-sized enterprises. This new IES-authored report summarises the findings of the HWMK evaluation.
  Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Involving Children and Young People in Improving Local Health Services
  As part of its 'Delivering Quality and Value Programme' on Children and Young People's Emergency and Urgent Care, the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement designed two products - an engagement tool and a lesson plan - to promote the involvement of young people. IES was commissioned to evaluate the prototype testing phase. This report gathers first-hand feedback from students and from those involved in organising and/or running the lesson workshops.
  Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Evidence-Based Reward Management: Creating measurable business impact from your pay and reward practices
  Tools and techniques that can be applied to practice evidence-based reward management, including a 4-step model which sets strategic goals, reviews current policies, looks at how to pilot and make changes and improvements and explains how to monitor and adapt on an ongoing basis. Fully illustrated with case studies.
  Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Determining current health and safety practices, awareness of HSE initiatives and economic trends in relation to isocyanate paint use in the MVR sector
  HSE has published research by IES examining health and safety practices and procedures in relation to the use of isocyanate-based paints in the motor vehicle repair (MVR) sector. The main objective of this research was to determine current health and safety practices in the motor vehicle repair sector in relation to the use of isocyanate paint spray, focusing in particular on the use of masks and the use of spray booths.
  Mon, 05 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Graduates in craft subjects
  As the new government reviews further cuts to higher education, a new study finds graduates in craft subjects in work, achieving their creative potential and keenly developing entrepreneurial skills.
  Thu, 24 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Anticipating and Managing Restructuring: Ireland
  This new report, published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), examines restructuring developments in Ireland. It gives an overview of the general economic and labour market context of the country, in particular against the background of the economic crisis. The report includes data on redundancies, and the challenges that the rising level of redundancies poses, particularly in sectors such as construction, which has been particularly hard hit by the recent recession.
  Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• The sun continues to shine for Brighton's graduates
  The Institute for Employment Studies and the University of Sussex continue their work to explore aspirations, expectations and real experiences of graduates in the local labour market and beyond, with a follow-up report containing three research papers examining graduate retention in the area.
  Mon, 21 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Monthly employment statistics: more mixed news on the jobs front
  Serious concerns remain about long-term unemployment; long-term unemployment has risen again, and stands at over three-quarters of a million. Continued action to support this group back into work is crucial in mitigating the longer-term impacts of the economic downturn.
  Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Employees do little to plan their retirement
  New research, published by the Institute for Employment Studies, explores the diverse ways in which older employees plan their future working life and retirement, as well as what support their employer provides. The report also presents solutions to what can be an awkward and difficult dialogue about later-life planning (when is the right time to plan?), between employers and employees.
  Tue, 15 Jun 2010 09:00:00 GMT
• IES policy conference: Fit for Work?
  With a new government in place, it is a good time to assess how policy around the health of the working age population has changed, what the future direction is likely to be, and what more could or should be done to meet the dual aims of a productive labour force and improved public health. This year's IES policy conference draws together influential speakers for a debate on the relationship between population health and the labour market.
  Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:00:00 GMT
• Top Employers for Working Families 2010: awards for family-friendly employers
  Organisations that implement the best family-friendly policies are to be recognised in the Top Employers for Working Families awards organised by leading work-life balance charity, Working Families, and validated by independent HR centre the Institute for Employment Studies.
  Tue, 25 May 2010 10:00:00 GMT
• Challenging times ahead for the new government
  It is difficult to escape the conclusion that unemployment is likely to remain high for some time without sustained and substantial economic growth. The economic recovery is by no means securely established and it is to be hoped that the new administration's decisions on the timing of deficit reduction will take account of the risk of further damage to a labour market that remains weak.
  Wed, 12 May 2010 10:00:00 GMT
• Institute for Employment Studies adds David Clutterbuck to its coaching team
  David Clutterbuck, one of the UK's leading executive coaches, has joined the Institute for Employment Studies' (IES) team of associate coaches. David will focus on coaching leaders and teams.
  Wed, 05 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Employment and Skills: six critical priorities for the next government
  Following this year's general election, whichever party takes office will be faced with a range of pressing policy issues on all fronts. However, high unemployment, the changing demands for skills, the need to increase productivity and to reduce expenditure on welfare mean that policies relating to employment and skills will be among the most important. As the UK emerges from recession, tackling these policy issues will be an urgent priority.
  Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Skills priorities in the justice sector
  New research takes stock of the current and emerging skills needs and priorities within the UK justice sector workforce and offers employers, employee representatives and other stakeholders from across the justice sector an opportunity to inform the future strategic agenda concerning skills and employment.
  Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• What skills will England need over the next decade?
  The report of the first National Strategic Skills Audit has been launched by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. IES played a major part in the project in authoring the draft report for the Commission, which drew on a range of quantitative sources of labour market information and synthesised findings from 35 reports to identify future skills needs for England at national, sectoral and regional levels.
  Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Flexible forms of work: 'very atypical' contractual arrangements
  A new report, co-authored by IES, seeks to examine the phenomenon of 'very atypical' work, looking at the incidence and nature of this form of work across the 27 EU Member States and Norway. At the same time, it attempts to assess the working conditions of these 'very atypical' forms of work, including whether such work constitutes a stepping stone to more standard forms of employment or if it entails a risk of social exclusion.
  Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Evaluation of Acas Workplace Projects
  Acas 'Workplace Projects' aim to improve employment relations within workplaces by involving employers and employee representatives in joint problem solving and joint working. This report, commissioned by Acas, summarises the findings of an evaluation of Workplace Projects.
  Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• Employment and Support Allowance: Evaluation
  From October 2008 Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) replaced Incapacity Benefit and Income Support paid on incapacity grounds for new customers. This new report, commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), represents the first stage of the evaluation of ESA and presents the findings from an early implementation study.
  Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• A different downturn?
  The UK recession is much deeper than both of the last two, yet the fall in the employment rate is somewhat less severe. Nigel Meager explains why.
  Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT
• The HR Agenda for 2010
  New IES report highlights ten HR priorities for organisations as they start to emerge from recession and look to the future.
  Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

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