The government has announced that it will launch a review into the future of work in an effort to determine how it can best support the UK’s labour market. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tasked Matt Warman MP with leading the review.
The government says it is looking to boost the workforce as it seeks to build a high-wage, high-growth economy that helps to drive UK prosperity, while creating sustainable solutions to issues such as the current cost of living crisis.
The “Future of Work” review will be used by the government to help shape plans to give the UK “the right workforce, skills and working environment to seize the new economic opportunities of Brexit, Levelling Up and Net Zero.”
The review will examine factors such as short and medium-term barriers facing the labour market, as well as challenges such as automation. Mr Warman will also look at how local labour markets help to facilitate access to good jobs and where skills development is required.
Labour market policy experts, such as academics, thinks tanks, government figures and parliamentarians from across the house, will be consulted for the review, which will produce a set of recommendations for consideration by the government.
Matt Warman, MP, commented: “The nature of work is changing at a rapid pace and Britain is uniquely positioned to seize new opportunities. I’m delighted to be asked by the Prime Minister to examine how best we can do so in the post-COVID era.”
“Businesses big and small have evolved how they work hugely in the last two years, and employees today need different skills and protections to thrive. Getting that balance right will provide tangible economic and social benefits to both companies and working people.”
Among those set to be consulted for the report is freelance body the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE). Responding to the announcement, IPSE Director of Policy Andy Chamberlain said: “We are delighted the government has launched this review and we look forward to contributing to the report’s findings. Technological changes such as automation and virtual working, as well as a shift in attitudes to work which has been compounded by the pandemic, mean that traditional 9-to-5 employment is likely to become less common.”
“It is essential that policy makers understand these changes, so that they can design public policy around how people increasingly want to shape their working lives.”
Chamberlain added: “Freelancers and the self-employed have always played a key role in lifting the UK out of economic downturns and can play an even bigger role in the labour market of tomorrow. If harnessed effectively, the dynamism and flexibility which is inherent in freelancing can drive economic growth, not just for the individuals who choose this way of working, but for the country as a whole.”
