Campaign to tackle the ‘worst odds of getting job in 50 years’
ABIRMINGHAM firm received 15,000 applications when it advertised just ten jobs. The remarkable response suggests it’s becoming harder than ever to find employment, according to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
He said workers face “the worst odds against finding a job for 50 years”.
The Birmingham firm had ten vacancies for assembly operatives. It advertised the posts on website CV Library, which allows people to apply for positions online and has compiled a list of vacancies that received hundreds or thousands of applications.
Birmingham is not the only place where jobs appear to be scarce. A vacancy for an administrator in Coventry received 2,154 applications, while 2,932 people applied to be a warehouse worker in Northumberland.
Mr Brown highlighted the findings in a speech to Labour’s annual conference, held online due to coronavirus, where he called for action to stop unemployment soaring.
The Labour politician is leading a campaign called the Alliance for Full Employment, backed by regional mayors in regions such as Greater Manchester, Merseyside and the North-east, as well as Labour’s West Midlands mayoral candidate Liam Byrne.
It has three main proposals:
Retaining the furlough scheme to support workers in industries which are still unable to reopen, and regions of the UK which are forced into lockdown
Providing a fully-funded work guarantee for all young people who need it, offering them education, training or a job
Preparing for the future by advancing new infrastructure and delivering a “Green New Deal”, which could include investing in renewable energy
While the CV Library data suggests it’s already a struggle to find a job, Labour politicians argue that the problem will become much worse in the months to come, with the furlough scheme coming to an end on October 31.
And unfortunately, they are not the only people worried about the state of the economy,
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce has released the findings of its latest survey of members. Chief executive Paul Faulkner said: “As we embark on the long road to recovery, the results from the latest Quarterly Business Report offer a mixture of hope and concern.”
Some manufacturing firms report activity is returning to near-normal levels. The service sector experienced a relative increase in activity but is still short of pre-Covid levels, the Chamber said.
Mr Faulkner said: “It is reassuring to see an upturn in activity related to domestic demand, export demand, hiring levels and investment plans – albeit considerably lower than the output we saw prior to the advent of the crisis.
“However, price pressures are creeping upwards and concerns related to levels of cash flow remain worryingly apparent. It’s pleasing to see that turnover and profitability projections are starting to climb but given the precarious situation we find ourselves operating in, it would be trivial to suggest the path to recovery is going to be plain sailing and without unexpected developments.”
Professor Julian Beer, deputy vice-chancellor at Birmingham City University, said: “The summer saw a welcome, if partial, recovery in economic activity in the Greater Birmingham area.
“Indeed, the latest Quarterly Business Survey suggests that this was led by manufacturing where, remarkably, some firms saw activity return to near-normal levels. Whilst some recovery in activity was expected as the extreme measures taken earlier in the year were relaxed, national data indicates a clear rebound in both output and consumer spending, particularly in late summer.
“Nevertheless, subdued investment plans suggest that businesses around Greater Birmingham are rightly cautious about the coming months. All will be watching the uptick in recent infection rates – accompanied by so-called ‘local lockdown’ measures – with trepidation.”
Birmingham City University this week held an online conference entitled Global Birmingham –
Beyond Brexit, where industry experts highlighted dangers to the economy caused both by Brexit and Covid-19.
Those taking part included Birmingham Hippodrome chief executive and UK Theatre president Fiona Allan, who – speaking ahead of the event – said, “Our sector, much of which is still not reopen, has very large concerns now over workforce and talent pipeline.
“It will take years to rebuild to where we were pre-Covid and the uncertainties of Brexit are an additional layer of angst. It’s a layer of uncertainty on top of a layer of uncertainty.”
Vicky Pryce, an economist and visiting professor at Birmingham City University, has predicted both a constitutional and financial crisis worsened by the combined damage of the global pandemic and departure from the EU. She said: “Brovid – Brexit and Covid – massively increases the future economic damage that will be done to the UK.
“Covid economic impacts, closure of firms and loss of jobs is bad enough but add in the same problems arising from Brexit, especially in the UK manufacturing sector, and the double hit would be serious.
“If a crash-out Brexit happens this strengthens the SNP and Scottish reaction of rule by London and bring closer a possible break-up of the UK.”
It will take years to rebuild to where we were pre-Covid