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Demographic change, which is increasing the proportion of older people in our society, will be hugely challenging in terms of ensuring that the right level of care is in place for higher numbers of older people, and particularly those with specific care needs such as people suffering from dementia. One way in which dementia sufferers can engage with the world around them is through the use of new technology, and this is now being explored, supported by the development of new guidance.

Supporting specific types of potential employee who may have particular problems in accessing and remaining in the labour market can be a way of both helping these individuals and ensuring a motivated and committed workforce. Recent IES research examined company policies that support young workers, older workers and women, in the context of flexicurity, showing the benefits that can be gained for employees and employers alike.

This is a time of great change for the higher education (HE) sector, with reforms to tuition fees and student loans which will see up to a threefold increase in undergraduate fees but for the first time will extend eligibility for student loans to part-time students.

A recent study conducted by IES's work health and well-being researchers investigated experiences of managing cancer in the workplace among smaller employers. The work was commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support (MCS) to establish whether its 'Working Through Cancer' (WTC) package of support, currently targeted at larger employers, is suitable for use by managers working in small and medium sizes enterprises (SMEs).

With nominally five people chasing every job it is not surprising that skill shortages across the economy are at record lows. However, at sectoral level there are still major concerns that a lack of the right sort of skills in critical areas could hold back economic recovery and damage future UK competitiveness. As consumer demand evolves and technological change creates new markets and ways of working, the skills required to deliver effective performance also change. Employers will increasingly have to find new ways of ensuring that prospective and existing employees possess the required skills.

Recent issues of Employment Studies have focused on how evidence-based policy-making is coming under pressure in the current political and economic climate. In the last issue we noted the increasingly cavalier regard for the existing evidence in the discussion of UK migration policy. Since then, a more egregious example has featured in the policy debate, albeit one which subsequently foundered on the rocks of internal coalition disagreement.