Tag: jobs

Scottish Power confirms major recruitment drive

180 posts to include first ever apprentices in onshore wind business

ScottishPower today announced its highest trainee recruitment drive since 2016 as it welcomed COP26 President Alok Sharma to the UK’s largest onshore wind farm on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Today’s announcement will see 180 separate opportunities for young people to join the company’s operations in Scotland, England and Wales. For the first time in the company’s history, apprenticeships in its ScottishPower Renewables’ onshore wind arm are on offer.

A Principal Partner for the United Nations climate change conference (COP26) to be held in the city later this year, ScottishPower is investing £10billion in the UK over five years – £6 million every working day – to double its renewable generation capacity and drive forward decarbonisation.

Its plans include new solar, wind and battery infrastructure, green hydrogen facilities and undertaking the mammoth task of upgrading parts of the country’s energy network to accommodate the expected rapid increase in demand for electricity.

The posts, which range from renewables to networks; procurement and IT, vary from graduate apprenticeships to pre-apprenticeship programmes for school leavers as well as opportunities for those looking to retrain from other industries.

They include:

·         Graduates across Engineering, Procurement & IT

·         Apprenticeships across Craft & Project Management

·         Trainees programmes for Adult Craft & Engineers

·         Graduate Apprenticeships

COP26 President Designate Alok Sharma said: “Growing our economy while becoming greener provides fantastic opportunities and I am pleased to see ScottishPower, a Principal Partner of COP26, will be adding so many new green jobs to its current workforce.

“As we move towards our net zero 2050 target, it shows we don’t need to choose between cleaning up our environment and growing our economy. I look forward to continuing to work with ScottishPower and others as we move towards COP26.”

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of ScottishPower, said: “Roles like these will sit at the very heart of delivering the UK’s net zero ambition as well as the wider green economic recovery. With COP26 coming to the UK this year, there couldn’t be a better time to join us and be part of the green industrial revolution.

“Increasingly people want to work for an organisation that shares their values and strives towards a clear and common purpose they can get behind. Everything we do at ScottishPower is about helping tackle the climate emergency and build a better future, quicker for everyone. It’s a big challenge, but it also makes ScottishPower a hugely inspiring place to work with opportunities to innovate and challenge yourself at every turn.”

Sheila Duncan, ScottishPower HR Director, added: “There are so many opportunities within an energy company that people might not think of, from project managers to quantity surveyors.

“They all share one thing in common, and that’s helping us play our part in decarbonising the UK’s energy. Whether someone is starting out on their career or looking to retrain from elsewhere, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.”

ScottishPower is one of the largest employers in Scotland and currently has around 5,500 staff at sites across the UK, including 1650 at its Glasgow-based HQ. is the first integrated energy company in the UK to switch to 100% clean energy generation and produces all its electricity from offshore and onshore wind. 

Earlier this year, ScottishPower signed up to the new Young Person’s Guarantee and committed to furthering opportunities for young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds around the UK. This includes grassroots pre-employment schemes in local communities for young people in and around Glasgow.

It is a Principal Partner for the COP26 conference and is developing an energy model that will play a significant role in reaching the UK’s world-leading climate change targets.

Job opportunities with Aldi

ALDI RECRUITING 20 COLLEAGUES IN THE EDINBURGH AREA

Aldi, the UK’s 5th largest supermarket, is recruiting new colleagues to work in its Dalkeith and Hermiston Gate stores opening in September 2021, as a result of its continued popularity and growth across Scotland.

In a welcome boost to the Scottish economy, and to support its expansion in the area, Aldi is looking for 20 Store Assistants across Edinburgh, with training for the role starting in June.

Aldi is a multi-award-winning employer that offers one of the best working environments and competitive benefits packages in the UK supermarket sector, with the majority of Aldi colleagues now receiving a minimum rate of £9.55 per hour, rising to £10.57.

Aldi also creates opportunities for colleagues to develop and progress and has flexible contracts available, as well as healthcare and lifestyle perks for all.

Here, Aldi colleagues give insider tips on how to land a role with the supermarket:

  1. Visit the store before your interview

Deputy Store Manager, Jim Sandhu says: “I’d suggest visiting your local store to watch the team and its daily running. This type of exercise can help candidates demonstrate their knowledge of the store, and display a sound understanding of how it operates. When applying for my role, I had a chat with the Store Manager, who kindly gave me some of their time. This put me in a very strong position in the interview as I was able to speak knowledgeably about how a store operates and identify some of the main challenges a Deputy Store Manager would face.”

  1. Do some desk research

Kelly Stokes, Recruitment Director at Aldi, says: “We always want to see that applicants have done their homework, as that shows how invested an individual is in joining the business. We are currently in an ambitious growth period and are constantly on the lookout for people who are hungry to learn more about us and our ways of working. Candidates who put extra effort in when doing their research put themselves in a great position to start their application and their new career with Aldi.”

  1. Show enthusiasm

Store Manager, Jade Shallow says: “You have to display a willingness to work hard, to be passionate and to be committed to the role.  If you can clearly showcase those three areas, then you’re not only going to show that you want to give your best at Aldi, but you’ll also be in a strong position to get noticed by the hiring manager in the first place.”

About the roles available:

Job title: Store Assistant

Salary: £9.55 per hour rising to £10.57

Job description: Hardworking and enthusiastic candidates are being targeted for Aldi’s Store Assistant positions, carrying out responsibilities such as accurate and efficient till operation, stock management and merchandising.

Full training will be provided for Store Assistants over a six-week period and roles are available from 15 to 30 hours a week, with a realistic prospect of progression.

Apply here.

Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director at Aldi, said: “We are really excited about the vacancies that have arisen across the Edinburgh area, as Aldi’s increased popularity and customer demand for quality products has allowed us to continue with our ambitious growth plan, and create further employment opportunities across Scotland.”

“Working at Aldi means more than just having a job; we really care about our colleagues, both personally and professionally. On top of our fantastic benefits, such as the competitive pay and benefits package, Aldi continues to offer a great working environment and real opportunities to progress within the business.

“We take immense pride in supporting the career development of all our colleagues and invest time and resource in them, in order to keep everyone motivated, fully engaged, continuously challenged and importantly, happy.”

Applications and more information on all of Aldi’s store positions can be found on Aldi’s recruitment website: www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/stores.

North and Midlands leads UK’s jobs recovery

  • Nine out of 63 cities and large towns have recovered to their pre-pandemic level of job postings, with the North and Midlands outperforming the South and South East
  • Barnsley, Mansfield and Stoke recorded strongest job posting recovery to date; Aberdeen, Belfast and Crawley experienced the weakest
  • Areas with high claimant counts and slow recovery in job opportunities in greatest need of policy support, according to new research by global job site Indeed and the Centre for Cities 

Britain’s resurgent jobs market is being led by cities and towns in the North and Midlands, according to new research by global job site Indeed and the Centre for Cities think tank.

Hiring gathered pace after the UK Government’s reopening roadmap was announced on 22 February but new analysis shows job growth is unevenly spread across the country.

Indeed and the Centre for Cities analysed job vacancies in 63 cities and large towns and found that in some parts of the country job postings now exceed their pre-pandemic level with those in the North and Midlands having so far witnessed the strongest recovery in job postings.

In total, nine cities or towns – led byBarnsley (+21%), Mansfield (20%) and Stoke (17%) – now have more job postings than before the pandemic started.

In contrast, Aberdeen (-53%), Belfast (-39%) and Crawley (-39%) are the three places where job postings have recovered the least, together with other cities and large towns predominantly in the South East of England.

London too is among the places with the slowest recovery: job postings in the capital are still 26% below their level before the pandemic, making it the 11th city with the slowest recovery.

Pace of job posting recovery varies

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The improving jobs landscape in the North and Midlands is partly driven by the mix of available jobs.

Recoveries have been strongest in areas with a greater pre-pandemic share of postings in occupations related to the production and distribution of goods, such as manufacturing, driving and loading & stocking, as well as essential services like healthcare, social care and education.

On the other hand, places with a higher share of pre-pandemic job opportunities in food & beverage service and hospitality & tourism are lagging behind.

Production and distribution hubs lead job postings recovery

Indeed 2.png

New analysis of claimant counts and job vacancies points to which jobs markets were hardest hit by Covid-19 and might take longest to return to their February 2020 level.

Places with high claimant count and low job postings include Brighton, Crawley, Slough as well as London in the south and Blackpool and Manchester in the north. These cities and large towns — which have a dependency on tourism and bustling workplaces — are the hardest hit by the pandemic as recruitment activity is lagging and more people are looking for jobs.

In contrast, places with low claimant count rates and whose job postings have mostly recovered to their pre-pandemic level – such as Mansfield, Swansea and Warrington – appeared to have been relatively sheltered from the economic impact of Covid-19.

Pawel Adrjan, head of EMEA research at the global job site Indeed, comments: “As hiring activity picks up across the country it’s clear there is a two-step jobs recovery underway in Britain.

“Cities and towns in the North and Midlands that have been buoyed by rising manufacturing, distribution, healthcare and education jobs but at the same time areas reliant on hospitality, tourism and higher paying jobs that can be performed from home have seen only sluggish growth.

“Just nine urban areas out of 63 have back above their pre-pandemic level and while the partial reopening of the economy earlier this month rode to the rescue of many businesses and workers our research shows that it alone was not enough to lift ailing area’s jobs levels significantly.

“We’ve seen how quickly the jobs market reacts to policy and public health announcements and policy makers will hope the eventual unwinding of Covid-19 restrictions will help level up the jobs recovery.”

Elena Magrini, senior analyst at the Centre for Cities, said: “Not everywhere is seeing yet the beginnings of post-pandemic recovery. Places reliant on tourism, aviation and office workers have been particularly hard hit and still have high shares of people who are unemployed or on furlough.

“Despite this, we have reasons to be optimistic, particularly given the pace of the recovery in the North and Midlands. Once we have reopened the economy, policy makers need to focus on building back better – growing the economy by creating better paid, higher skilled jobs for people right across the country.”

Big increase in online job posts as economy continues to recover

The latest jobs indicator released by Internet Association shows a large increase in the number of full time and part time job postings online as the UK economy continues its recovery from the Coronavirus pandemic. 

The new data shows that over 250,000 full-time jobs were posted online in March 2021 – a 112 percent increase on March 2020. That figure also represents a 21 percent increase since February 2021, following a 5.9 percent rise since January 2021 – pointing to accelerating growth in the full-time jobs market. 

There is also encouraging news for part-time work revealed by the new data. While January 2021 saw a 10 percent decrease in part-time online job postings, February 2021 saw a 12.2 percent increase, and March 2021 saw a 4 percent increase.

The positive increase points to the likely preparation ahead of the recent reopening of non-essential retail, hospitality and other sectors that are reliant on part-time work.  

Key findings from IA’s ‘Industry Indicators: Jobs (3i Jobs) Q1 2021 Report’:

  • The number of full time jobs being posted online are at their highest for over a year. And despite the sharp fall during the height of the pandemic, the number of postings online in March 2021 is 112 percent higher than March 2020. 
  • The part-time job market is beginning to recover – albeit slower than the full-time market. March 2021 saw a 4 percent increase in online job postings, following a 12.2 percent increase in February 2021. The number of jobs posted in March 2021 also represents a 37 percent increase on March 2020. 
  • A fifth of UK adults (21 percent) now use the internet to earn money online – with the most common amounts being around £10-20 per month, through to over £100 a month. This rate has remained stable throughout the year, suggesting that people are beginning to use the increased flexibility of home working to earn additional income online. 
  • The top postings for full time positions in March 2021 were Sales Assistant, Retail Sales Associates and Client Advisors. The top postings for part time positions were Crew Members, Cashiers and Sales Advisors – again pointing to the big employment boost expected from the reopening of retail last week. 

The new data, part of IA’s ‘3i Report’ series, presents monthly insights on the UK job market using data from national and internet-based resources.

The report tracks month to month trends in the online job market and presents unique information on hiring, openings and an online income tracker that identifies the amount of additional income being made by people online through, for example, selling products on platforms like Etsy or Ebay.

The tracker shows that over a fifth of UK adults are using the internet to earn money online, with 9 percent of those earning more than £100 a month online. 

The report also highlights how the internet is a vital tool to help people find work and create income in a variety of ways – with the latest update a cause for optimism for the UK full-time and part time jobs market.

It shows rapid growth in online job postings after a difficult period during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, and a stabilising rate of people earning money online. 

To read the full report, click here

Scotland’s night time economy ‘on brink of collapse’

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) is warning of an impending unemployment tsunami, with up to 24,000 jobs thought to be at risk within weeks, as a majority of struggling night-time economy businesses have now run out of cash to pay furlough contributions and fixed costs. 

The Scottish Government released the latest Strategic Framework update on Friday, which confirmed businesses will be subject to the commercially unviable levels system of restrictions for many months longer despite all financial support being withdrawn by the end of April.

Worse still, there is no commitment or target date for the return to commercially viable trading for businesses in the sector, which is only possible when social distancing and all other legal restrictions end.

A survey this month of NTIA members confirmed the perilous state the sector is now in, with average Covid related debt reaching a wholly unsustainable £150,000 or more per premises, and businesses facing an imminent cash flow crunch.

The survey also confirmed that less than a quarter of premises have licensed outdoor areas, the vast majority are many months behind on rent or mortgage payments, fewer than a third have been able to trade viably at any point in the last year, and almost all cannot reopen or trade viably while social distancing remains.

These businesses have now exhausted financial resources. Cash reserves have been depleted, more borrowing is now impossible with no guaranteed opening dates and businesses are rapidly running out of cash to pay their fixed costs and furlough contributions.

Business insolvencies and mass job losses are now inevitable within weeks unless the Scottish Government acts urgently. The NTIA wrote to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon earlier this month highlighting the issues and requesting immediate crisis talks.

It is beyond disappointing that as yet we have had no response whatsoever.

NTIA Spokesman Gavin Stevenson said: “Our members have done the right thing, closed their previously successful businesses for the sake of public health, and gone deep into debt paying the enormous fixed costs and furlough contributions to keep staff employed for over a year now.  

“We were the first to close and will be last to open.  No sector has suffered more.  But Government have consistently taken our sector for granted and refused to engage meaningfully with our representatives.

“Many of our members have been closed for over a year now, and virtually all have suffered crippling financial losses.  In short, the money going out every month has been far greater than the money coming in, and government support has typically covered less than a quarter of this deficit.

“To add insult to injury government support has now ended while there is no end date to forced closure and other restrictions.  Scottish Government now only has two options, provide substantial and immediate additional support for as long as it is mandated that our businesses stay closed and/or operate under the restrictions that make them unviable, or provide a clear route map with target dates for the end of all legal restrictions on capacity, activity, and opening hours.  

“If neither of those options are forthcoming then our First Minister is, in effect, asking thousands of small Scottish business owners to bankrupt themselves.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will make a statement this afternoon. She is expected to confirm the latest easing of restrictions will take place next Monday (26 April) and will include the reopening of hospitality, gyms and non-essential shops.

Recovery Loan Scheme launched

A new UK government-backed loan scheme has launched to provide additional finance to those businesses that need it.

  • new loan scheme will provide further support to protect businesses and jobs
  • loans will include 80% government guarantee and interest rate cap
  • government has backed £75 billion of loans to date as part of unprecedented £350 billion wider support package

The Recovery Loan Scheme will ensure businesses continue to benefit from Government-guaranteed finance throughout 2021.

With non-essential retail and outdoor hospitality reopening next week, Ministers have ensured that appropriate support is still available to businesses to protect jobs. From today, businesses – ranging from coffee shops and restaurants, to hairdressers and gyms – and can access loans varying in size from £25,000, up to a maximum of £10 million. Invoice and asset finance is available from £1,000.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “We have stopped at nothing to protect jobs and livelihoods throughout the pandemic and as the situation has evolved we have ensured that our support continues to meet businesses needs.

“As we safely reopen parts of our economy, our new Recovery Loan Scheme will ensure that businesses continue to have access to the finance they need as we move out of this crisis.”

This is in addition to furlough being extended until 30 September, and the New Restart Grants scheme launched last week, providing funding of up to £18,000 to eligible businesses.

The UK Government is also supplementing this with the Plan for Jobs, focused on protecting, supporting and creating jobs across the country through the Kickstart scheme, T-level and a National Careers Service.

The scheme, which was announced at budget and runs until 31 December 2021, will be administered by the British Business Bank, with loans available through a diverse network of accredited commercial lenders.

26 lenders have already been accredited for day one of the scheme, with more to come shortly, and the government will provide an 80% guarantee for all loans. Interest rates have been capped at 14.99% and are expected to be much lower than that in the vast majority of cases, and Ministers are urging lenders to ensure they keep rates down to help protect jobs.

The Recovery Loan Scheme can be used as an additional loan on top of support received from the emergency schemes – such as the Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme – put into place last year.

So far, the government’s emergency loan schemes have supported more than £75 billion of finance for 1.6 million British businesses and this new scheme will build on that success. This is part of the government’s unprecedented £350 billion support package which has included paying millions of workers’ wages through the furlough scheme and generous grants and tax deferrals.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: “We’re doing everything we can to back businesses as we carefully reopen our economy and recover our way of life.

“The launch of our new Recovery Loan Scheme will provide businesses with a firm foundation on which to plan ahead, protect jobs and prepare for a safe reopening as we build back better from the pandemic.”

Reactions from business groups:

Rain Newton-Smith, CBI Chief Economist, said: “The coronavirus loan schemes have provided a critical lifeline to businesses, and so its successor – the new Recovery Loan scheme – comes as a huge relief to firms.

“These loans can be taken alongside existing COVID loans to help firms refinance, restructure and go for growth.

“It’s vital support remains as restrictions relax and demand returns to normal, allowing businesses to recover, save jobs, and support for reopening.”

Commenting on the Recovery Loan scheme, Suren Thiru, Head of Economics at the BCC, said: Accessing finance remains crucial to the lifeblood of a business and so the launch of the Recovery Loan scheme is welcome.

“The new scheme can play a potentially pivotal role in supporting the recovery by getting credit flowing to the firms who most need it.

“Chambers of Commerce will continue to work with government and the banks to ensure that businesses have the clarity they need to enable them to use the new scheme to help them return to growth.”

David Postings, Chief Executive of UK Finance, said: The banking and finance industry remains committed to supporting businesses of all sizes through the next phase of the pandemic response.

“As focus turns to economic recovery, we know that many firms are still facing uncertainty. The new Recovery Loan Scheme, alongside other commercial financial support, will help firms rebuild and invest for future growth.”

One in three Scots experience financial shock during pandemic

Financially shook: 19.8 million people have experienced a financial shock since the pandemic began – with an average decrease in income of £538 per month

•    Two out of five UK adults (38%) have experienced a financial shock as a result of the pandemic

•    Those who experienced a financial shock saw their income decrease by £538 per month on average– almost a full week of spending for the average household2 according to the ONS – and equating to £11 billion3 nationally

•    Over half (51%) of UK consumers have not taken steps to protect themselves against a potential financial shock

New research from Yolt, the award-winning smart money app, reveals that almost 20 million UK adults have experienced a financial shock, such as a pay decrease, job loss or a drastic change in financial situation, since the beginning of the pandemic.

Those who have had to deal with a financial shock saw their income decrease by over £530 per month on average – which almost equates to one full week of spending for the average family in the UK, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Despite this, over half (51%) of UK consumers revealed they have not taken steps to protect themselves against a sudden change in income, or a shift in their finances that would mean they couldn’t cover their usual outgoings.

The research found that in many cases (19%) people had seen their income decrease and one in ten (11%) have been furloughed during the pandemic. In responses to these shocks, over a third (34%) have dipped into their savings and a quarter have turned to credit card spending (26%). One in five people who experienced a financial shock (20%) tried to raise money by selling things online and one in seven (16%) borrowed money from their family.

Experiencing a financial shock makespeople much more likely to put precautions in place in the future, as three out of four (74%) who had previously experienced a financial shock have taken action – compared to a third (33%) who hadn’t faced a shock.

Amongst all UK adults, these preventative steps included, reviewing theirmonthly outgoingstosee where cutbackscanbe made (23%), putting money aside in a rainy day fund (15%) and a focused approach to paying off debts (12%) to help ease financial pressure.

In fact, one in four of Brits (25%) said that the pandemic has made them finally look totackle their debt – as evidenced by recent data from the Bank of England which found that UK households repaid a total of £16.6bn on credit cards and loans in 20205.

Financial uncertainty continues to fuel consumer anxiety in the UK. Almost two out of five UK adults (38%) are extremely worried about their financial future and half (54%) want to protect their family financially more now, than ever before.

Pauline van Brakel, Chief Product Officer at Yolt, said: “Our research shows that the impact of the pandemic on people’s finances has been far reaching.

“There is no uniform financial experience or response tothe current economic climate and we’re unfortunately seeing a widening wealth gap, with some people able to save during this period, as the opportunity to spend has declined, and other people unfortunately having suffered a significant reduction in income at an average cost of £538 per month.

“With the UK still experiencing great levels of uncertainty there could be further financial shocks on the horizon for many – especially with government support schemes such as furlough due to come to an end in the coming months.

It’s no doubt a challenging time for all but engaging with your finances and looking to see where you could make cutbacks to save even a small financial cushion can be a lifeline if you do experience a financial shock.

“At Yolt, our recently launched evolution of the app is designed to help you manage your finances and take the hassle out of saving – by helping people save while they spend and making creating savings habits easier.”

Full scale of Britain’s job crisis uncovered in new research

Seven new private sector jobs will be needed to create one viable job post-pandemic

  • Cities will lead economic bounce back but most new jobs are expected to be low-skilled and low-paid.
  • Government must upskill workers and encourage higher-skilled businesses to invest in cities – particularly in the North and Midlands.

New Centre for Cities’ research in partnership with HSBC UK reveals that Britain’s jobs crisis is bigger than realised as the economy will need to create almost ten million new private sector jobs just to reverse the damage done by the pandemic.

Analysis of Britain’s ‘jobs miracle’ from 2013 to 2019 – when the national economy created 2.7 million net new jobs – finds that 19.3 million private sector jobs were created during this period and 16.6 million were lost. This meant that seven new private sector jobs were needed to create one viable job.

If this pattern repeats post-Covid then 9.4 million new private sector jobs will be needed to get the 1.3 million people who lost their jobs during the pandemic working again.

After the financial crisis big cities created the vast majority of new jobs and are expected to do so again post-Covid. London created one in four of all new private sector jobs (790,300) – equal to 17 Scarboroughs, or 25 Hartlepools. Other big cities also played an outsized role: in Manchester, 152,100 new jobs were created; in Birmingham 99,100 were; and in Glasgow 40,800 were.

In total, Britain’s ten largest cities created almost half (45.6%) of jobs during the ‘jobs miracle’, despite accounting for just 3.5% of land. In contrast, smaller towns and rural areas created 36% of new jobs. These findings underline the important role that big cities will play in helping the country recover from Covid-19.

Contribution of cities and non-urban areas to job creation, 2013-19

Fig 1.png

Source: ONS, Business Structure Database (BSD)

Many of the jobs lost in the pandemic were in sectors such as hospitality and tourism. While they are expected to recover quickly once the economy reopens, with an estimated three quarters of new jobs likely to come from sectors such as these, relying on them for new jobs will not address years of poor productivity and pay stagnation, particularly outside London and the Greater South East.

After the pandemic, the productivity problem that UK cities face will need to be addressed.

To do this the Government should invest in adult education to train people for higher-paid jobs in emerging industries. It should also recognise the crucial role that cities will play in building back better from the pandemic. It should invest £5 billion in a new City Centre Productivity Fund to make struggling city centres more attractive places for high-skilled businesses to locate.

The paper’s other proposals to help the country build back better from the pandemic include reforming business rates, which in their current form are a tax on business investment, and devolving more economic powers and resources to local government – particularly England’s metro mayors.

Centre for Cities’ Chief Executive Andrew Carter said: “Britain’s biggest cities will play a central role in our recovery from the pandemic, as they did after the last economic crisis when London alone created a quarter of all new jobs.

“We must use Covid-19 as an economic reset and address many of the long-standing problems that the economy has faced in recent years such as stalled productivity and stagnant pay. To do this the Government will need to focus on investing in adult education to train people for higher paid jobs.

“Addressing these problems will be be essential if the Government hopes to attract higher-skilled businesses in emerging industries to cities and large towns in the North and Midlands and meet its levelling up objectives.

Ian Stuart, CEO, HSBC UK said: “The employment challenge ahead for the country’s economy cannot be underestimated.

“Beyond the sheer volume of new jobs required, the UK will need to create high value, export-led employment across all regions, if it is to address the age-old productivity puzzle.

“Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we will only truly succeed in levelling up the country if the challenge is shared between government and the private sector with a focus on reskilling our people and attracting new business growth and international investment in the sectors where we have a real competitive advantage.”

Capital Theatres is recruiting for recovery

Capital Theatres is looking to appoint three key individuals to its team – Director of Finance & Business Services, Director of Development & Head of Creative Engagement.

Under the leadership of a new Chief Executive Fiona Gibson, Capital Theatres is moving into an exciting new strategic phase as it spearheads the cultural and economic regeneration of its communities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is now recruiting for three key positions to help it move successfully forwards, including a new post for Head of Creative Engagement, further developing its increasing focus on community engagement and developing artistic talent, and a new Director of Development who will lead the fundraising campaign to support the redevelopment of the King’s Theatre as well as a variety of creative projects.

It’s current Director of Finance, Iain Ross is set to retire after 11 years with Capital Theatres and so the third role is set to steer the organisation financially as it charts its way through recovery and seeks to expand its creative vision.

Director of Development; an important role in the future strategic direction of the organisation, the post will be responsible for devising and implementing a creative and innovative fundraising strategy, of which a key priority will be the King’s Theatre Redevelopment Campaign.

Building on the success already achieved in the early phases of the capital appeal, the new Director will lead the public launch of a high-profile capital campaign, which will see the century-old, iconic landmark in Edinburgh transformed and restored it to its former glory, ensuring its future for generations to come.

Head of Creative Engagement; a new role for a special person who can grow and develop all aspects of the Creative Engagement programme, centring on Capital Theatres’ strategic ambition to co-create high quality projects that make a real difference inside the local communities it serves.

The role will also lead on increasing community engagement around the King’s Theatre Redevelopment Campaign, develop the Studio as a ‘go-to’ venue for emerging artists and new work, pioneer alternative performance experiences for audience members whose needs are not met by traditional models and evolve the organisation’s award-winning engagement activity with people living with dementia.

Director of Finance and Business Services: Resilience and longevity of the theatres is paramount and the Director of Finance & Business Services is pivotal to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organisation.

The role will manage the financial business case for delivery of the King’s Theatre redevelopment project, along with financial decisions support for the broader organisational strategy including collaboration and co-production with cultural consortia and artistic partners, revenue growth through trading and the cashflow planning and reporting requirements of public and private fundraising.

More information on the roles and details on applying are available at https://www.capitaltheatres.com/about/jobs

One Year of Furlough

Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the furlough scheme being introduced. TUC’s ALEX COLLISON takes stock

The scheme, a big win for the union movement, guarantees that employees working for businesses that have been closed due to social restrictions, who may have otherwise lost their jobs, receive at least 80 per cent of their wages while they’re unable to work.

Numbers using the scheme

The furlough scheme has undoubtedly protected millions of jobs throughout the pandemic, making it one of the few big successes in the government’s response to the pandemic.

Between the scheme’s introduction and the middle of February 2021, 11.2 million jobs have been furloughed at some point, with 1.3 million employers making use of it.

Use of the furlough scheme peaked in early May 2020, when 8.9 million jobs were furloughed. 4.7 million jobs were still furloughed at the end of January 2021, the latest available day that HMRC figures cover. A business survey from the ONS provides more up-to-date information, showing that 19% of the private sector workforce was furloughed in early March. This has been the same since January, and suggests the number of people furloughed has likely stayed around the same since January.

The number of people furloughed in January 2021 is the highest it’s been since July.

As you’d expect given the sectors most impacted by social restrictions, use of the scheme has been much higher in some industries than others. At the end of January, 44% of all furloughed jobs are within two industries: accommodation and food services (24%) and wholesale and retail (20%).

This equates to 1.1 million jobs in accommodation and food, and 940,000 jobs in wholesale and retail.

Chart 1

While the arts and entertainment sector has less jobs furloughed (315,000), this constitutes a large percentage of its workforce. 55% of the workforce was furloughed at the end of January 2021. This is a similar rate to accommodation and food (56%).

Across all industries, the number of jobs furloughed at the end of January was 47% lower than it was when furlough was at its peak. But, again, this varies by industry.

Construction and manufacturing, for example, both had large numbers of jobs furloughed in May 2020. While there’s still a significant number of jobs furloughed in these industries, the number has fallen by around two-thirds. In contrast, the number of employments furloughed in accommodation and food and arts and entertainment has fallen by 30%.

And it’s worth noting where these jobs may have gone. HMRC data on the number of payrolled employees shows that accommodation and food and arts and entertainment saw the most job losses between April 2020 and January 2021.

It therefore seems likely that some workers in these industries are losing their jobs rather than returning from furlough.

Chart 2

The scheme hasn’t been perfect

While the furlough scheme has undoubtedly saved millions of jobs, it hasn’t been perfect. A key flaw of the scheme is that there’s no protection to ensure no one is paid below the minimum wage while furloughed. While employers can choose to top up the wages of furloughed workers, not all do.

Low-paid workers are more likely to not to have their pay topped up. Because of this, in April 2020, around the peak of the scheme, just over two million employees were not being paid the legal minimum.

This means that the household finances of many low-paid workers, already being paid an insufficient minimum wage, have been hit hard.

Young workers, part-time workers and workers in the hospitality sector have also been more likely to be affected. Shockingly, a third of all accommodation and food workers were not earning the legal minimum wage in April 2020.

As well as this, the government’s attempts to wind down the scheme have often proved premature. The number of jobs furloughed hit its lowest point on October 31st, when it dropped to 2.4 million. The scheme was due to end on this day, but was extended at the last minute.

The number of employments furloughed went up to 3.7 million on November 1st, and then increased further a few days later due to stricter lockdown measures being introduced. This uncertainty around the future of the furlough scheme seems to have led to unnecessary job losses.

And the government has struggled to reach those in non-conventional work, whether self-employed forced to operate through companies, zero-hours workers, and those mixing employment and self-employment.

The government introduced the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) alongside the furlough scheme, but the two didn’t seamlessly interact to cover all workers, and the requirements of the scheme have meant that millions of workers have fallen between the cracks, unable to get support.

What next?

The government has committed to keeping the furlough scheme running until the end of September. The amount the government contributes to the wages of furloughed workers will begin to reduce before then, dropping to 70% in July and 60% in August and September.

The current roadmap out of lockdown provisionally plans for all areas of the economy to be up and running months before the end of furlough. However, the September end date creates a cliff edge, especially as it comes alongside the end of the Universal Credit uplift. The government must ensure it adapts the scheme to any changes of the roadmap. If business closures last longer than expected, so too should the scheme.

It’s also urgent that the government overhauls our broken social safety net so that it properly supports for those who need it. This includes raising both Universal Credit and legacy benefits to at least 80% of the national living wage (£260 per week), ending the five-week wait by converting advance payment loans to grants, and scrapping the two-child limit, benefits cap and no-recourse-to-public-funds rules.

Finally, it’s important that the government begins to look beyond the scheme. Investing now in good, well-paid jobs will help to replace any jobs lost when the scheme ends.

Fast tracking spending on projects such as broadband, green technology, transport and housing, for example, could deliver a 1.24 million jobs boost by 2022, and the TUC has set out plans to fill and create 600,000 jobs in the public sector.