In his statement yesterday the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced a £40 million fund to introduce a job finding support service run by the private sector. The scheme will provide people who have been unemployed for less than three months with online, one-to-one advice to help them find jobs, write CVs, prepare for interviews and explore options for building skills. Although further details are yet to be announced, it is believed that this scheme will work similarly to the 2008/9 Jobcentre Plus scheme which partnered with local recruiters to provide employability support to job seekers.
The announcement is the culmination of months of collaboration between the REC, its members and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The REC also welcomed other measures including the employee bonus and the £2 billion Kickstart Scheme aimed at creating new jobs and protecting existing ones.
Neil Carberry, CEO of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation said:
“As the country faces a jobs crisis, it’s great to see the government is listening to our advice and turning to the recruitment industry as jobs experts who can help people back into work. There are two clear benefits to this – firstly immediate professional support for the unemployed from recruiters who are already geared up and ready to go. Secondly it will mean a more robust recruitment industry, better able to do what it does best and help drive unemployment down over the long term.
“Delivering this scheme in partnership with recruiters recognises the vital role they play in helping people find their feet when they become unemployed and addressing the huge unemployment challenge the country faces. We look forward to working with government over the coming months to help return the jobs market and the economy to growth.”
John-Paul Marks, Director General Work and Health Services at the DWP said:
“Our continued partnership with REC members in communities across the UK has never been more important as we support every jobseeker to find quality work and get back on their feet. We look forward to working closely with the REC as we take the next important steps forward and deliver more together.”
