IER News & blogs

Dr Sangwoo Lee, Assistant Professor, Institute for Employment Research, said: 'The minor reduction in unemployment seen in today's data, is accompanied by a 0.3 % increase in economic inactivity - partly driven by discouraged jobseekers retreating from the market rather than being absorbed into stable jobs. We're also seeing a gradual shift towards non-traditional working arrangements. Strengthening protection these workers should be a priority.

Researchers from IER and Warwick Medical School have developed a model to identify barriers to the effective transfer of stroke patients between hospital and social care settings.

We’re delighted that Vivensa Foundation, who funded the work, have showcased the findings and its PI, IER Director Chris Warhurst, as the ‘Academy member’ of the month.

The team lead by Dr Gianni Anelli included Professor Derek Bosworth, Dr Jason Madan (Warwick Medical School) and Dr M.A. Whitehead, a stroke consultant at University Hospital Crosshouse, Scotland, where the team hope to trial the model using real world data.

IER's Dr Sangwoo LeeLink opens in a new window and Prof Chris WarhurstLink opens in a new window, alongside Prof Angela Knox Link opens in a new window(University of Sydney) and Dr Sally Wright (University of Sheffield), have published a new article titled "Understanding the relationship between job quality and general health in hospitality: Evidence from AustraliaLink opens in a new window". It draws on survey data from 427 Australian hospitality workers to examine how six dimensions of job quality relate to workers' self-rated general health, and whether these relationships vary by gender.

The findings point to the need for structural, job-level interventions, for instance, stronger workplace representation, reduced employment insecurity, expanded training and progression, and improved pay, alongside gender-sensitive measures targeting autonomy for female workers and social support for male workers.

We were delighted that IER’s Dr Emily EricksonLink opens in a new window was invited to give evidence to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee on 20 May, contributing to an international panel of experts. Chaired by Debbie Abrahams MP, the committee’s inquiry ‘Youth employment, education and training’ aligns with the Government’s focus on youth employment.

The Committee was keen to understand how the UK compares to other nations and what solutions can be shared. Emily highlighted findings from two international projects on apprenticeships (Skills2CapabilitiesLink opens in a new window and a Matched Plant study) as well as work to develop a shared vision for a high-quality vocational education and training (VET) system for England by 2050 (VET2050Link opens in a new window).

IER's Dr Sangwoo LeeLink opens in a new window, along with co-authors Francis Green, Golo Henseke, and Anna Yong, has published a new article in the British Journal of Sociology of Education titled "Diluting Exclusivity? The Prevalence and Distribution of Bursaries and Scholarships for Britain's Private Schools."

The study provides a timely historical and statistical analysis of financial assistance within Britain’s independent school sector. While these grants are frequently claimed by some parliamentarians to mitigate social exclusivity, the research reveals that only 3% of private school income actually goes toward funding them.