UK / Views on how should long-term unemployment be tackled?

Chris Goulden, head of poverty at social policy charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Most would agree that people with the misfortune to be long-term unemployed need intensive, personalised help to get back into a job.

International evidence shows that a full package of support and the right kind of work experience – ideally with pay and the prospect of a proper job at the end of it – is crucial.

Graeme Cooke, research director at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)

There is nothing wrong with expecting the long-term unemployed to undertake work experience or an intensive job search, in fact it can really help.

When done right, they give people the work habits and employability skills that employers are looking for.

What’s crucial is that schemes are designed to make people more likely to get a job, not less.

Becci Newton, senior research fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies (IES)

Mechanisms that re-build labour market attachment are valuable but there is a need to recognise the multiple barriers faced, including the uneven geographic dispersion of work, which poses the challenge of economic regeneration.

Long-term unemployment among young people is particularly problematic, and it is crucial that they receive interventions that help them to achieve traction in the labour market, which may include skills development as well as workplace experience.

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via BBC News – Viewpoints: How should long-term unemployment be tackled?.