News & Press

The first jobs data of this Parliament lays bare the scale of the challenges facing the new Labour government.

Astrid Allen summarises the findings from a two-year action research programme to introduce flexibility into frontline roles and evaluate its impact, on both the individual and the organisation.

Kate Alexander explores what party manifestos tell us about the current direction of travel around employment rights by identifying which policy levers are ‘in’ and which are ‘out’ in 2024.

With just over a week to go before the General Election, Nita Clarke OBE, the Director of the Involvement and Participation Association and Mike Clancy, General Secretary of Prospect trade union, consider the current state of industrial relations in the UK and look ahead to the much-needed reforms of the labour market that any new government will need to address.

We are deeply sorry to announce that our dear friend and colleague, Stephen Bevan, passed away last night. Steve has been such an important part of so many of our lives over the years – through his work, as a mentor and as a friend – and we will miss him hugely.

The last Parliament has been truly dismal for employment, and today’s figures are the worst that we have seen since the pandemic.

IES Director Tony Wilson sets out five priorities for a new approach to employment support, for whoever wins the next election: based on ambitious objectives, clear entitlements, empowering people, a reformed employment (and careers) service, and new ‘labour market partnerships’ to take this forward.

IES Director Tony Wilson considers the government's announcement of a new task force to address skills and labour shortages and calls for a reformed approach to employment services based on open access to support, a different approach to those out of work, coherent engagement and support for employers, and meaningful partnership and alignment across services.