writing this piece, there are hundreds of thousands of vacancies in the job market and companies closing or reducing service levels because they cannot get enough people. Yet at the same time, there are also hundreds of thousands of people at home because they are still on the furlough scheme. That such a position could exist – and be correct policy – shows how the job market has been turned upside down by the pandemic.
The issue of skills in the workforce has not been so critical for many years. When it comes to the workforce we need, the UK has not been growing its own for many years. That is compounded by restricted international movements from both the pandemic and changing politics. The very nature of the skills required are changing, too.
