The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals ……………………………………………………………Policy News Journal
Employment rate remains at record 74.1% while wages continue to rise 21 April 2016
Recent analysis from the Office for National Statistics shows that there are now 31.4 million people in work, up 20,000 over the past quarter and 360,000 in the past year.
The latest labour market statistical bulletin from the Office for National Statistics shows that this growth is being driven by full-time employment, which made up 80% of the annual rise, and there are a near record 751,000 vacancies available in the jobs market.
The figures show that average wages before bonuses grew 2.2% over the last year. The private sector in particular continues to perform strongly with average wage growth before bonuses of 2.5% over the same period.
Work and Pensions Secretary of State Stephen Crabb said:
“We remain in a position of strength, with a record employment rate, wages continuing to grow steadily and three- quarters of a million vacancies available in the labour market.
Work is essential in transforming the lives of the most disadvantaged people in society and is at the heart of our welfare reforms. We are committed to ensuring that everyone across the country benefits from our strong economy and the opportunities this brings.”
The latest labour market statistics also show:
the female employment rate remains at a record high of 69.1%, with nearly a million more women in work since 2010 long-term unemployment has fallen to 467,000 – the lowest level since early 2009 the inactivity rate — the number of people not in employment and not looking or not available to work — has fallen to its joint lowest rate on record of 21.7%.
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Employers have fears around social media use in the workplace 11 May 2016
New Acas research reveals that many employers are wary of using social media to communicate in the workplace because they are afraid it will be misused by their employees.
The study shows that many employers are keen to exploit social media to promote their business but far fewer use it to engage with their staff.
Employers' fears include:
online conversations getting out of hand having to act on employee suggestions
employees not using social media for work purposes.
Acas Chair, Sir Brendan Barber, said:
"Social media is now being used everywhere in the UK and it has changed the way we communicate in our private lives. But only one in four people utilise social media for work compared to three in four using it in their private life.
Bosses should take advantage of the benefits social media can bring in giving employees a voice, which also contributes towards a good working relationship within the workplace.
Using social media more widely as a communication channel in the workplace can help staff work more effectively together and it offers opportunities to get colleagues talking and sharing ideas in real-time and in any location."
Acas has some tips on using social media within the workplace. Employers should:
cipp.org.uk
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