10 November 2006
For the first time, we have published data that categorises Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants by ethnic group. I realise, at first glance, that this doesn’t appear particularly momentous but, bear with me, and I’ll see if I can convince you otherwise.
Unless you’re from an ethnic minority you’d probably be unaware that, to have the same job prospects as your white counterpart, you’d have to wait 45 years. So if someone has just graduated, it won’t be until they retire that there will be an equality of opportunity. That’s too long.
Things have moved on. In the past, that employment gap was close to a century. But the fact we’ve helped reduce that gap is scant consolation for those struggling to find work and failing to tackle this issue will mean we will struggle to eradicate relative poverty.
Experience has taught us something that now sounds rather obvious. You can’t treat the employment needs of a white steelworker from the east end of Glasgow in the same way you would a Bangladeshi man in the east end of London.
Which finally brings me back to that data. We can now spot where the high levels of ethnic minority unemployment are and target support specifically to meet individual needs. This dovetails nicely with our Cities Strategy plan.
This will give 15 areas across the country the freedom to develop local solutions to help local people back to work. We’ve already seen this approach work. For example, a project in Bradford tailors information to businesses to help them understand the needs of Muslim employees. So while this publication sounds like something that should only interest statisticians, in reality, it’s a vital part of our plan to open up opportunity and reduce poverty.
In the meantime, I’d like to hear about your experiences. What challenges have you faced in trying to get a job?
Posted in General, Cities Strategy. View and make comments (0).
30 October 2006
Today I was up in Scotland to give a speech to an Edinburgh conference discussing the Welfare Reform Bill. It was organised by the Holyrood Magazine in association with the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). Obviously, Ministers give speeches all the time but do they serve any purpose besides helping me escape the Westminster village for a day?
From my perspective, the answer is an emphatic “yes”. The fact is that different areas across the UK face very different problems. And it’s only by getting out to different parts of the country that you begin to get a real appreciation of what those challenges actually are.
Take Scotland, for example. Research published at the beginning of this year showed that Scotland had 20 of the top 100 constituencies with the largest numbers of incapacity benefit claimants. A worrying statistic when you consider that as many as half of the most severe pockets of deprivation in the UK are to be found within those same 100 towns and cities.
Today’s trip gave me the chance to talk to experts like Morag Gillespie, of the Scottish Poverty Information Unit, Chris Oswald, Head of Policy and Communication within the Disability Rights Commission and John Dickie, Head of CPAG in Scotland face-to-face about the problems they face in their own backyard. And it was a vital opportunity to reassure them that our Bill is designed to help.
Edinburgh, for example, along with Glasgow and Dundee has been awarded cities strategy status. That means the private and voluntary sectors in the city will now work with the Government to devise ways of reaching out its hardest-to-help neighbourhoods. It’s just one way we are making sure our reforms meet the needs of local communities as well as the population as a whole.
The Department has also announced today that we introducing a series of 0800 numbers for people claiming working age benefits. The obvious advantage is that people will be able to contact the Department for free, but alongside this, there will be other changes to how people interact with Jobcentre Plus that will help people get the help they want more easily and quickly. You can read about these measures here.
Posted in General, Child Poverty, Incapacity benefits, Cities Strategy. View and make comments (1).
