WIREDGOV

Denham welcomes new jobs report

DEPARTMENT FOR INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS News Release (005/2009) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 19 January 2009

Jobs market set to grow despite recent downturn

A new report predicting big employment opportunities in sectors like business, education, distribution and transport over the current decade to 2017 was welcomed today by the Government.

The report 'Working Futures', was published by the independent employer body, the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES). It predicts employment trends over the next ten years and shows that despite the current economic downturn job prospects remain good.

The report says that there will be some sectors of the economy where growth will be particularly strong including computing and the service sector, and paints an optimistic picture for the labour market over the long term to 2017.

In particular the report predicts that there were will be job growth in areas such as:

* Business and other services - including computing and financial services - where despite the recent downturn the number of jobs is predicted to increase by 1.3m over the longer term.

* Distribution and transport - where around half a million new jobs are expected to be created.

* 'Non - marketed services' - where careers in areas such as education, health and social work are expected to see an increase of around half a million jobs too.

* Construction - where despite the downturn the projected benefit of public expenditure on projects such as the 2012 Olympics are expected to still help an increase of 170,000 jobs in the longer term.

It comes at a time when the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) is working to ensure that the skills system is geared to developing people with the right skills, in the right place at the right time so that UK workers can benefit from these new opportunities.
Through the Government's Train to Gain programme it is investing almost £1 billion in work based training, and is building on the 10 strategic funding deals with sector skills councils in key areas such as construction, engineering, hospitality, and process and manufacturing, to deliver the skilled staff these industries need.
Skills Secretary John Denham said:

"Today's report from the UKCES is a welcome addition to the work we have been doing to make sure that our workforce is best placed to take advantage of the upturn when it comes.

"In the short term we are making sure that people who lose their jobs have access to the real help they need. But we must not lose sight of the future needs of our economy and do all we can to help people get the secure career jobs they want and need in the industries where growth will be the strongest in the coming years.

"This is why we are working to reform the skills system, and will take a more proactive role in key sectors to bring employers, training providers and unions together to tackle these key job shortages."

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, James Purnell said:

"We are investing to give people real help to get back to work today, as there are still over half a million jobs available which employers are trying to fill. We are also making reforms to the welfare system to ensure that people have the skills they need to fill the jobs of tomorrow.

"We will spend an extra £0.5bn to make sure that short term unemployment does not turn into the kind of long term unemployment that scarred communities after previous recessions."

Assuming a quick recovery the report predicts that between 2007 and 2017 employment is projected to rise with almost two million new jobs being created. Taking account of those leaving employment through retirement etc there is expected to be 13.5 million job openings overall.

Notes to editors:

1. Working Futures is published by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills is available from http://www.ukces.org.uk. The report was authored on behalf of the UK Commission by the Institute for Employment Research and Cambridge Econometrics (http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/ier / http://www.camecon.com/)

2. In a speech given in October to the CBI last year Skills Secretary John Denham laid out how the government will work with employers to effectively identify future skills needs and simplify the skills system. To read the speech go to http://www.dius.gov.uk/speeches/denham_cbi_241008.html

3. On 17 December DIUS announced details on how a £158 million fund will be used to help people who have lost or fear losing their jobs. For more information please go to http://nds.coi.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=387747&NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False