Skills top of employers’ agenda for new government

The UK Conservative party’s emergence overnight as the largest political group in Parliament has not changed the agenda for employers, says the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) chief executive Kevin Green.Referring to the possibility of a leadership challenge to Theresa May following the political miscalculation in calling the snap general election and the subsequent lacklustre campaign, Mr Green said: “The nation has voted. Whoever takes the reigns must front up quickly to challenges including the imminent Brexit negotiations, which will shape the jobs market over the next decade. The UK has labour, skill and talent shortages and the evidence points to the situation getting worse before it gets better.

Skills and jobs in post-Brexit Britain

Ahead of the general election, the REC asked 201 employers what they thought should be the new government’s top priority for the labour market. A third said the new government should develop a strategy to make sure businesses have people with the skills they need.“Organisations are only as good as the people they hire," continued Mr Green. "In hospitals, schools, start-ups or in larger businesses, employers are deeply concerned about the impact on their business of not being able to find people for the jobs they have available."

'More human' approach to business: CIPD

The CIPD also called for more focus on worker protection and skills. Its chief executive, Peter Cheese, said: “A key focus must be on addressing workplace issues through a much more human lens.“By focusing on improving transparency in business, protecting and raising awareness of rights for workers and boosting investment in skills, we can hope to ensure that work can be a force for good, regardless of how, when and where people work.“We look forward to working with the new government once it has been officially formed, to address these issues and ensure the UK is in a strong position to be a high-skills, high-value economy.”

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• Brexit uncertainty amid UK election result turmoil

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Brokering a Brexit deal

With official Brexit negotiations starting in ten days, the European Council President Donald Tusk congratulated Theresa May on her "reappointment" this morning after the results. Mr Tusk said: "The urgent task now is to conduct the negotiations on the UK's withdrawal from the European Union in the best possible spirit, securing the least disruptive outcome for our citizens, businesses and countries after March 2019.”Mrs May, in her speech following the customary visit to the Queen to inform her majesty of the intention to create a new government, said: “I have just been to see Her Majesty the Queen and I will now form a government. A government that can provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country."This government will guide the country through the crucial Brexit talks that begin in just 10 days and deliver on the will of the British people by taking the United Kingdom out of the European Union."

'Let's get to work'

On the arrangement with the Ulster Democratic Unionist Party, which the parliamentary Conservative party needs to form a working majority on decision making, Mrs May added: “This will allow us to come together as a country and channel our energies towards a successful Brexit deal that works for everyone in this country, securing a new partnership with the EU which guarantees our long-term prosperity. That’s what people voted for last June, that’s what we will deliver. Now let’s get to work.”With the parliamentary Conservative party committed to reducing immigration as part of its manifesto, Mrs May is likely to be unwilling in the upcoming Brexit negotiations to exchange single market access for free movement, having rejected the idea earlier this year. With employers warning already of skills gaps, how Mrs May delivers on the promise of a new partnership with the EU that also satisfies employers' needs will be critical to the UK's future productivity.

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