Great Britain: government announces new employment measures

Long-term unemployment. Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, announced that jobs created are going to be trebled via Employment Partnerships which tie businesses and the government. The latter wants to create 750,000 jobs by 2010 instead of the 250,000 initially planned. Also, this program should help people over 50 finding a job, via personalized support from Jobcenters. David Coates, associate director of policy at the think-tank The Work Foundation, said Local Employment Partnerships were “absolutely the right way to get [the over-50s] back into work.” Tom Wright, chief executive of Age UK, disagrees and calls on the government to improve the support offered by Jobcenters – which “routinely fails older people” in adequately finding them jobs matching their skills – and encourages businesses recruit seniors, particularly those who have been unemployed for over six months.
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pport offered by Jobcenters – which “routinely fails older people” in adequately finding them jobs matching their skills – and encourages businesses recruit seniors, particularly those who have been unemployed for over six months.

Child care checks. Gordon Brown announced that he would remove tax exemption on the child care checks over 35,000 businesses give their employees, by 2015. The money gathered will be used to finance child care places for 250,000 two-year-olds. This is bad news for hum

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