Getting Britain Working

The concept of ‘getting people back into work ‘has been a central theme across all political parties over the last 40 years. It has influenced employment law, welfare reform and public policy.

It has been a legal framework and government initiative, aimed at reducing unemployment and supporting individuals who have been out of work, back into employment

History

1980s: Thatcher Era (Conservative)

• Slogans: “Back to Work”, “Labour Isn’t Working”.
• Focus: High unemployment tackled through deregulation, privatisation, and cuts to benefits.
• Message: Work is a moral imperative; the welfare state should not create dependency.

1997–2010: New Labour Era (Labour – Tony Blair, Gordon Brown)

• Slogan shift: “Work is the best route out of poverty”.
• Policies: New Deal for the unemployed, tax credits for low-income workers.
• Approach: Mix of incentives and support; invested in job training and education.
• Message: Empower people to work through state-supported interventions.

2010–2015: Coalition Government (Conservative-Lib Dem)

• Slogan: “Getting Britain Working”.
• Key policies:
  • Introduction of Universal Credit.
  • Work Programme: outsourced employment support.
  • Sanctions and conditionality intensified.
• Framing: Shifted narrative from support to “making work pay” and reducing welfare dependency.

2015–2019: Conservative Majority Governments

• Continued use of employment-focused slogans, e.g., “For hardworking people”.
• Emphasis on welfare conditionality and benefit caps.
• Critics argued this phase deepened the “hostile environment” for claimants.

2019–2024: Boris Johnson / Liz Truss / Rishi Sunak (Conservative)

• Slogans: “Levelling Up”, “Build Back Better”, but still rooted in work-centered messaging.
• Policies: Restart Scheme, Kickstart for youth employment, post-COVID recovery.
• Focus: Tackling long-term economic inactivity and skills shortages.

1. The Legal Framework of Employment in the UK

UK employment law is a mixture of statutory rights, common law principles, and EU regulations that still influence domestic law post-Brexit. Key legislation includes:

• Employment Rights Act 1996 – Sets out workers’ rights on redundancy, unfair dismissal, and flexible working.
• Equality Act 2010 – Protects against discrimination in the workplace.
• Universal Credit Regulations 2013 – Link welfare to work requirements, incentivising job seeking.
• Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 – Provides the legislative basis for apprenticeships.

This legislation aims to balance protections for employees with the flexibility businesses need to operate efficiently.

2. Welfare to Work: The Role of Universal Credit

Universal Credit plays a pivotal role in encouraging employment. Under the system:

• Claimants must meet work-search requirements or face sanctions.
• Support is tailored through work coaches and job centres.
• In-work benefits top up earnings, helping low-income workers remain in employment.

Legal debates are ongoing around sanctions and support provided, prompting calls for reform to ensure that the system is fair, accessible, and genuinely encouraging work.

3. Labour Market Challenges and Government Responses

The UK faces several hurdles:

• Economic Inactivity: Over 9 million people are economically inactive, many due to long-term illness.
• Skills Shortages: In construction, health care, and IT, employers struggle to recruit skilled staff.
• Youth Unemployment: Disproportionate unemployment among under-25s raises concerns about future productivity.

To address these issues, the government has introduced:

• Restart Scheme: Helping long-term unemployed back into work.
• Skills Bootcamps and Lifelong Learning Entitlement: Giving adults legal rights to funded training.

These policies are set in law and require ongoing oversight to ensure effectiveness and equity.

4. Legal Reforms on the Horizon

To truly “get Britain working,” experts and policymakers have proposed:

• Strengthening Employment Rights: Including day-one rights to sick pay and flexible working (Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023).
• Improved Statutory Sick Pay: Reforming eligibility and amount to reduce long-term economic inactivity.
• Childcare Support in Law: Expanding free childcare entitlements to remove barriers to work, especially for women.

5. Workforce Participation and Social Justice

Ensuring participation isn’t just an economic goal—it’s a matter of fairness. Legal structures must:

• Support disabled people into work through the Equality Act.
• Protect gig workers and zero-hours workers through employment status reform.
• Ensure regional equity, recognising different labour market conditions across the UK.

With Labour coming to power in 2024, their amended slogan is ‘Work That Pays, Support That Works’.

Their current strategy is looking at:

• Enhancing Employment Support: Labour has promised to invest an additional £1 billion annually in employment support, aiming to provide high-quality, tailored assistance to help individuals on their pathway to work. This includes personalised health, skills, and employment support for those receiving the Universal Credit health top-up.
• Youth Employment Initiatives: The “Get Britain Working” plan allocates £240 million to support young people in securing employment or training opportunities, with a proposal to delay access to the health top-up in Universal Credit until the age of 22 to reinvest savings into work support and training.
• Welfare Reform: Labour aims to reform the welfare system to make work pay and tackle poverty. This includes reviewing Universal Credit, addressing long wait times for health treatments (particularly mental health), tackling the backlog of Access to Work claims, and reforming or replacing the Work Capability Assessment to support disabled individuals into work.
• Employment Rights Bill: Labour’s “New Deal for Working People” includes proposals to provide protection from unfair dismissal from day one of employment, remove age bands for the minimum wage, introduce a living wage reflecting the cost of living, and offer improved statutory sick pay and parental leave.