Latest news with #Workforce
India Today
4 days ago
- Business
- India Today
The skills mismatch
Today, only 4 per cent of the workforce (aged 15-59) has received vocational training, despite 88 per cent being engaged in low-competency jobs. More importantly, over 50 per cent of graduates are employed in jobs that require lower skill levels than their educational qualifications—implying underutilisation of India's workforce. These are the findings of the report 'Skills for the Future: Transforming India's Workforce Landscape' by the Institute for Competitiveness. - Ends advertisement
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
UK population to grow faster than any major EU country
Immigration will spur the UK's population to rise faster than any major EU country, figures reveal. Britain's population is predicted to increase by 6.8 per cent from 69.6 million to 74.3 million by 2100, according to the United Nations' latest predictions. Only Luxembourg, with a population of 672,000, is expected to rise more, at 10 per cent. The UN estimates that cumulative net migration to the UK will total 14.3 million by the end of the century, fuelling a population rise. This is almost double the 7.8 million for France and just under a quarter more than Germany. Just three of the 27 current EU member states will see their populations increase between now and 2100, the UN's World Population Prospects 2024 has revealed. Alongside the 10 per cent projected for Luxembourg, only Sweden (6.7 per cent) and France (2.8 per cent) will see increases. Immigration is seen as essential by policymakers as it staves off the negative economic consequences of an otherwise dwindling workforce. Without positive net migration, the UK population would fall by over a quarter to below 50 million by 2100 – roughly what the population was in 1950. This is because the average number of children per woman is set to plateau well below the 2.1 replacement rate. The total fertility rate in England and Wales slumped to 1.44 children per woman between 2022 and 2023. Last year, the UK median age hit 40, which is projected to rise to 47.9 by 2100. Without migration, where the majority of arrivals tend to be younger, it would reach 50 as early as 2067. However, immigration places additional strain on an already beleaguered benefits system and public services such as the NHS. The number of foreign nationals on Universal Credit has surged over the past three years, from 906,018 in June 2022 to 1.26 million last month, according to figures published on Tuesday. Refugees made up 118,749 of that total, with 54,156 on humanitarian visas. Some 59.1 per cent were found to be unemployed in May. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'These are staggering figures and are clear proof that the Labour Government has lost control of our welfare system. 'We've set out a clear, common-sense position. Universal Credit should be reserved for UK citizens only. This is about fairness, responsibility and protecting support for those who've contributed to this country.' The combined population of Western Europe is expected to peak this year at just under 200 million. By the end of the century, the region's population is predicted to decline to 185 million. In a hypothetical scenario without net migration, this total would plummet to 133 million. The UN data does not explicitly map where immigrants to a country have come from, but the broad pattern is clear. The intensifying effects of a warming climate and increasingly erratic weather are harder felt in less developed, agriculturally dependent countries. Every year from 2041 onwards, net migration out of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to exceed half a million. Cumulatively by 2100, that's almost 50 million leavers. That number can be doubled from Central and Southern Asia, from where more than 100 million are set to emigrate over the next three-quarters of a century. The United States is expected to receive around 97 million of these migrants. Behind Russia and Canada, the UK is the fourth-largest recipient.
Leader Live
11-07-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Flintshire Council lost over 33,000 days to sickness last year
According to the council's Employment and Workforce End of Year Update, in total full-time council workers were off work sick for 33,696.66 days in 2024/25 – equivalent to roughly 92 years. During the same period schools within the local authority lost 23,304.95 days to sickness – again with stress the most common reason. Both figures were worse than 2023/24. Despite this however Flintshire's absence rate last year was one of the five lowest in Wales. Partially as a result of sickness absence, the authority also reported spending £6.09 million on agency staff – resulting in an agency budget overspend of £4.39m. Sharon Carney, Senior Manager, People and Organisational Development, told Flintshire's Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee that part of the reason absence rates have increased is the challenges employees face accessing mental health support. 'Delays in treatments and appointments ultimately mean that some of our employees are poorly longer than they would be,' she said. 'In some cases the lack of treatment worsens their condition. 'For mental health access to treatment is not often easily reachable in the early stages and that has a negative impact. We try and supplement that with our own offer in terms of training, mindfulness, occupational health and our Employee Assistance Programme but that's not enough in some cases.' The report also highlighted that Flintshire continues to outperform neighbouring authorities in terms of staff retention – although pressure from the private sector remained a risk. Last year the council saw 718 full time staff leave, with just over 57% of those – 414 – telling their exit interview they were moving on to another employer or were leaving voluntarily. 'The work is increasing, resources are reducing and we are not as competitive as some of our private sector employers anymore,' added Ms Carney.
Hans India
27-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Recognising informal & experiential learning key to boost India's skill landscape: Minister
New Delhi: The skills landscape in India is driven by demand and market, said Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State, for Education, stressing the need to recognise informal and experiential learning. Unveiling a report titled 'Skills for the Future: Transforming India's Workforce Landscape', developed by the Institute for Competitiveness, Chaudhary noted that the skill landscape must address the evolving needs of industry and workforce. The report, based on the data available in the public domain, presents a detailed examination of the skills landscape in India. It focuses on educational attainment, occupational distribution, and attainment of technical and vocational education and training of the workforce (TVET). 'Skilling is to be understood not merely as a supply-side intervention, but as a demand-driven, market-aligned, and outcome-oriented ecosystem that addresses the evolving needs of industry and the workforce. We must deepen pathways between education, vocational training and industry this includes recognise informal and experiential learning,' Chaudhary said. Chaudhary also suggested that a robust employability index will help in monitoring the impact of education and skilling on the employment prospects of youth in the evolving economic and technological environment. Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, MSDE, said that skilling is an area of academic inquiry. He also stressed the need for creating a corpus of literature around skilling with data and evidence and also urged further deep diving into structural changes around skilling, education, and work continuum. Meanwhile, the report analysed India's skills landscape against the backdrop of the emerging knowledge-driven global economy. Data analysis based on Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) shows that in 2023-24, 88 per cent of India's workforce is in low-competency occupations, while only 10-12 per cent are in high-competency roles. Further, using PLFS (2023-24) data the report identified five sectors -- IT and ITeS, textile and apparel, electronics, healthcare and life sciences, and beauty and wellness -- which accounted for over 66 per cent of vocational training in India. The report also recommended multifaceted and targeted interventions to develop a resilient and future-ready workforce. It urged for a dedicated, standardised data collection system to generate estimates about skill requirements and enable targeted evidence-based reforms and policies.
ABC News
09-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Indigenous employment rules dropped from two-thirds of Commonwealth contracts
Indigenous employment rules have been dropped in two-thirds of Commonwealth contracts, meaning $70 billion worth of contracts did not have to hire a minimum number of Indigenous people or use Indigenous businesses. The Audit Office found departments had exempted two-thirds of recorded contracts since 2016, or about 1,475 contracts, from requirements for at least 3 per cent of the workforce to be Indigenous, or that amount of components sourced from Indigenous-owned businesses. Auditors said the exemptions were given "often for reasons that [were] unclear". But even among the contracts that were subject to Indigenous participation rules, just a fifth were actually assessed for compliance — with more than a quarter found to be non-compliant. Commonwealth contracts are subject to Indigenous participation rules if they exceed $7.5 million in value and more than half of that value is spent in a nominated industry in Australia — such as in construction, healthcare, industrial cleaning or wildlife management. Auditors said contract exemptions were rising, and while some were legitimate exemptions, others were given with little explanation. "The inappropriate use of exemptions impedes achievement of the Indigenous Procurement Policy's objectives," auditors said. "Systems have been set up to allow potentially invalid exemptions." Of those contracts that were exempted from Indigenous participation rules, a third listed their reason for exemption under the category "other". Auditors were told by the responsible agency, the National Indigenous Australians Agency, that contracts were sometimes exempted simply because they were "in practice non-compliant" with the rules. For example, between July 2016 and September last year $35 billion worth of Defence Department contracts were exempted — with more than half of those contracts listed as "other" as the reason for exemption. But even among the 870 contracts where Indigenous participation rules were applied, the NIAA only assessed compliance of a fifth of those. Of those assessed, 28 per cent, or 45 contracts, were found not to have complied. The agency had also not updated its guidance to contractors on navigating Indigenous participation rules since July 2020, despite reporting requirements changing in that time. "A commitment to publish guidance tailored for Indigenous businesses was not met," the auditors found. In a response to auditors, the National Indigenous Australians Agency said prior to the introduction of minimum requirements a decade ago, Indigenous businesses secured limited business from the Commonwealth, and the policy had "significantly" increased the rate of purchasing from Indigenous businesses. The agency agreed to review its use of the "other" category for allowing exemptions, but argued it was the responsibility of Commonwealth departments to ensure each met their own obligations.
