REC’s Hadley blogs from Lib Dem conference
18 September 2013
The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) director of policy Tom Hadley gives the low-down on the Liberal Democrat conference and looks at potential implications for recruiters.
Wed, 18 Sep, 2013The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) director of policy Tom Hadley gives the low-down on the Liberal Democrat conference and looks at potential implications for recruiters.
Today is the final day of the Lib Dem shindig in Glasgow. The REC policy team has been in among it, fighting our corner and taking stock of what the various policy debates, ministerial pronouncements and fringe events could mean for our industry. Here's an initial 'hit-list':
1. ‘Good regulation’ is the name of the game. Business secretary Vince Cable underlined his commitment to cutting red tape while ensuring regulations that remain are effective and proportionate. The line we took forward during our fringe session with the employment relations minister is that ‘good regulation’ must involve effective enforcement to ensure that compliant businesses are not undercut. We were also able to engage with the pensions minister Steve Webb on the challenge of auto-enrolment for the temp market.
2. Despite the zero-hour ‘wall of sound’, the value of flexible work is recognised. Our fringe event on Monday night with PCG and Demos underlined the need for government policy to reflect the changing world of work. Proposed measures on zero-hours were exclusively focused on situations where workers are contracted directly with an employer and where there is no ‘reciprocity’. The importance of flexible working arrangements for boosting diversity and gender equality was pinpointed by minister Jo Swinson.
3. Industrial strategy is dependent on skills strategy. Government is committed to a proactive industrial strategy. However, the lack of skilled workers is a real barrier to growth. We took forward the findings of our Youth Employment Taskforce – particularly on careers guidance – and feedback from our recent ‘Skills Summit’. Vince Cable made encouraging noises about aligning immigration policy to labour market needs, which is something we have consistently called for. We will continue to feed into the skills debate through REC Sector Groups in areas such as technology, engineering, creative industries and life sciences.
4. Tax policy must deliver a level playing field. Chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander honed in on tax avoidance and the need for a level playing field in all tax areas. This is a major issue for recruiters, particularly in relation to travel & subsistence schemes and VAT models in the NHS. This are now firmly on the government’s radar but real progress can only be made through effective HMRC enforcement. We will continue to hold government to account on this.
5. ‘Responsible business’ must involve ‘good recruitment’. Feedback from business bodies and leading employers such as Fujitsu indicated that the ‘responsible business’ agenda is gaining momentum. Our line is that good recruitment and good supply chain management must be part of this. The aim is to influence the way that employers perceive and work with their recruitment partners.
6. Effective resourcing must underpin public sector reform. Other sessions focused on childcare, education policy and building a healthcare system for the 21st century. Our message here is that sourcing and placing suitably skilled staff will always be key to delivering front line services and that specialist recruiters will continue to play a pivotal role.
The overall aim is to position the recruitment industry at the forefront of some of the key debates and to continue widening our ‘circle of influence’. Glasgow was a great start to the conference season, job done. Next up, Labour in Brighton.
Today is the final day of the Lib Dem shindig in Glasgow. The REC policy team has been in among it, fighting our corner and taking stock of what the various policy debates, ministerial pronouncements and fringe events could mean for our industry. Here's an initial 'hit-list':
1. ‘Good regulation’ is the name of the game. Business secretary Vince Cable underlined his commitment to cutting red tape while ensuring regulations that remain are effective and proportionate. The line we took forward during our fringe session with the employment relations minister is that ‘good regulation’ must involve effective enforcement to ensure that compliant businesses are not undercut. We were also able to engage with the pensions minister Steve Webb on the challenge of auto-enrolment for the temp market.
2. Despite the zero-hour ‘wall of sound’, the value of flexible work is recognised. Our fringe event on Monday night with PCG and Demos underlined the need for government policy to reflect the changing world of work. Proposed measures on zero-hours were exclusively focused on situations where workers are contracted directly with an employer and where there is no ‘reciprocity’. The importance of flexible working arrangements for boosting diversity and gender equality was pinpointed by minister Jo Swinson.
3. Industrial strategy is dependent on skills strategy. Government is committed to a proactive industrial strategy. However, the lack of skilled workers is a real barrier to growth. We took forward the findings of our Youth Employment Taskforce – particularly on careers guidance – and feedback from our recent ‘Skills Summit’. Vince Cable made encouraging noises about aligning immigration policy to labour market needs, which is something we have consistently called for. We will continue to feed into the skills debate through REC Sector Groups in areas such as technology, engineering, creative industries and life sciences.
4. Tax policy must deliver a level playing field. Chief secretary to the treasury Danny Alexander honed in on tax avoidance and the need for a level playing field in all tax areas. This is a major issue for recruiters, particularly in relation to travel & subsistence schemes and VAT models in the NHS. This are now firmly on the government’s radar but real progress can only be made through effective HMRC enforcement. We will continue to hold government to account on this.
5. ‘Responsible business’ must involve ‘good recruitment’. Feedback from business bodies and leading employers such as Fujitsu indicated that the ‘responsible business’ agenda is gaining momentum. Our line is that good recruitment and good supply chain management must be part of this. The aim is to influence the way that employers perceive and work with their recruitment partners.
6. Effective resourcing must underpin public sector reform. Other sessions focused on childcare, education policy and building a healthcare system for the 21st century. Our message here is that sourcing and placing suitably skilled staff will always be key to delivering front line services and that specialist recruiters will continue to play a pivotal role.
The overall aim is to position the recruitment industry at the forefront of some of the key debates and to continue widening our ‘circle of influence’. Glasgow was a great start to the conference season, job done. Next up, Labour in Brighton.
