In your corner - REC Campaigns and Policy news - 18 November

In the 1993 film Groundhog Day, Bill Murray's Phil Connors finds himself trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive the same events over and over again. Watching this cult classic back today would give you quite a good insight into how the REC Campaigns team feels following a third financial statement from government in the last 8 weeks. Jeremy Hunt was once again the man in charge of delivering the government's latest fiscal updates, following his previous reversal of former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng's controversial mini-budget in September. Our campaigns team have done the analysis on the latest announcements, and what this means for business and our full review of the Chancellor's latest statement can be seen below.

Preparing for and responding to the never-ending loop of budget announcements is a is taking up quite a lot of our time at the moment, but that hasn't stop us also getting our other campaign messages out there. Conversations with the Home Office on immigration and right to work lead the way this week, and our other campaigns and research updates are set out below. 

 

Chancellor delivers latest budget

Yesterday Jeremy Hunt delivered his latest budget (or “fiscal event”) for the UK. The key headlines of the most recent announcement include further tax increases and spending cuts to promote the government’s key priorities of stability, growth and public services. There were also the announcements that the National living wage will be increased to £10.42, and the energy price cap guarantees will be extended beyond April next year. Hunt also outlined the steps needed to achieve growth, including some REC campaign asks on workforce planning and labour market participation. The REC will continue to drive these messages with government to make sure they engage with business and industry when it comes to building solutions to these issues.  You can read our full break down of the budget announcements here.

 

REC continues to push for Umbrella market regulation

Although it was disappointing that today’s Budget included no mention of the Single Enforcement Body or umbrella company regulation, as called for by the REC in our letter to the Chancellor last month, we are continuing to push government for this. We know from recent conversations with BEIS and HMRC that the umbrella company market call for evidence responses are still being reviewed and we’re expecting the government response “soon”. In the meantime, it’s important that our members continue to undertake appropriate due diligence when engaging any umbrella company. Members can find guidance about umbrella companies on our website.

 

REC raises concerns over new Right to Work system

REC has written to the new Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, following concerns from members over the new digital right to work (RTW) system. Feedback to the REC has expressed concern over the efficiency and fairness of the new system, which requires businesses to engage an identity document service provider if they wish to check RTW digitally. REC has written to the minister to explain where the concerns have arisen and to offer solutions and our assistance to address them as soon as possible.

 

Home Office Migration Advisory Committee updates

The REC has recently spoken with the Home Office Migration Advisory Committeee (MAC) regarding their latest developments. MAC has confirmed that, despite the REC's ongoing efforts, there will be no further updates to the Shortage Occupation List for now. We will continue to push the Home Office for change in this area. However, the Home Office has confirmed its plans to digitise the immigration system by 2024 through Electronic Visas (eVisas), making it easier for overseas nationals to prove their immigration status (both personally and professionally). The REC will keep you updated on these changes as more information on how this will work is made available.

 

ACAS Toolkit on handling sickness absence

ACAS have published new guidance and a toolkit for managers and employers on handling sickness absence in the workplace. With over one-quarter of employers reporting an increase in staff absences, it is crucial for businesses to know how to manage sickness absence effectively ACAS’ guidance offers tips to businesses and employers on how best to handle sickness absence and how to better support employees during their illness and upon their return to work. ACAS have also released a podcast on this topic, you can isten to the sickness absence podcast here.

 

Kate Shoesmith speaking at Timewise webinar

Flexible working experts Timewise are running a webinar to launch their 8^th annual ‘Flexible Jobs Index’. This is an annual analysis of over 6 million UK job ads to establish what volume get advertised with any kind of flexible or part-time options. Results are broken down by role-type, salary, flex type and geography. A panel of experts, including the REC’s own deputy CEO, Kate Shoesmith, will take attendees though the results, advise employers on how work and hiring in the UK are changing, discuss what other employers are doing and will examine the wider impacts for business and society. You can register to attend the Timewise webinar, which is taking place at 2pm on 30 November.

 

Research Corner

The REC’s latest Report on Jobs shows that permanent placements decline for the first time since February 2021. Despite the fall in placements, the number of vacancies continues to grow and the availability of staff continues to drop sharply. The labour market remains resilient as employers are still looking to hire both perm and temp positions.

Next week, we’ll be publishing our latest JobsOutlook, so keep an eye out for the latest insight into how the jobs market is evolving.