welfare reform policy forum presentation

Tackling Poverty & Challenges of Welfare Reform: A New ApproachTina McKenzie FIRP

Managing Director, PeoplePlus NINI Director, Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)

• UK’s largest Employment Support organisation

• Deliver over 50 contracts for 20 funding bodies in over 150 locations in Northern Ireland, GB, Australia and Saudi Arabia

Local Expertise, Global ReachWho are PeoplePlus?

• Steps 2 Success Prime Contractor for Northern Region

• Deliverer of the Building Employment through Education project

• Links with NI’s largest employers across growing sectors in the region

Local Expertise, Global ReachWho are PeoplePlus?

03/05/2023 4

• Focus in NI has been on skills development

• Just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to supporting people into employment

Linking People, Skills and JobsHow do we tackle poverty?

03/05/2023 5

A person skilled to Level 4 on average earns over £20,000 more per year than someone skilled to Level 1 and 2

NI Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings

Why skills?How do we tackle poverty?

03/05/2023 6

• 37% of pupils leave school without 5 GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths (DE NI School Leavers Survey) 

• Northern Ireland has highest proportion of population with no qualifications (19% versus 10% UK average) – (Annual Population Survey)

Why skills?How do we tackle poverty?

03/05/2023 7

Northern Ireland has lowest proportion of population with qualifications at Level 4 and above (31% versus 38% UK average)

Why skills?How do we tackle poverty?

03/05/2023 8

• Strong association between worklessness and poor health (Waddell & Burton 2006)

• Our survey of >10,000 people in NI in our programmes shows ill-health is the primary self-identified barrier to employment

Health and employmentBut is this the only answer?

40%

29%

15%

10%

6%

Barriers to Employment

Health Issues

Transport

Essential Skills Need

No CV

Childcare/Caring

9

• Recent increases of ESA claimants compared to JSA

• Combining these benefits and others into Universal Credit

• How best to identify and help people with work-limiting health conditions who with support could move into work?

ContextChallenges of Welfare Reform

Source: NI Benefits Statistics Summary May 2015 (DSD)

03/05/2023 10

This in addition to high levels of economic inactivity (27% in NI compared to average of 22% in UK) – some may not necessarily be in receipt of ESA or other benefits

Combating Economic InactivityChallenges of Welfare Reform

03/05/2023 11

• Tightening labour market means employers beginning to look for innovative solutions to recruit the best staff

• 46% of working-age population wants more flexibility at work

• Many employers daunted by how best to accommodate someone with caring responsibilities or a work-limiting health condition

Changing attitudes among employersIs solution just person-centred?

03/05/2023 12

Supporting employers on reasonable accommodationsHolistic Support + Employer Input

03/05/2023 13

• Must ensure implementation of Universal Credit does not obscure figures – must be able to clearly identify how we can best support people back into work

• Better links between health service and employment services to help people who, with the right support, can move into work

• Working with employers to identify reasonable accommodations for people joining their staff

Linking health and employment supportSolutions