The chart below puts these changes in a broad historical perspective. I used annual tables from the Bureau of Labor Statistics on employment among women by marital status for all women 16 and over (the tables are not separated for heads of households and spouses, as I did for my 2007-10 analysis). Source: Bureau of … Continue reading
AS ANY middle-class parent knows, unpaid work experience can give youngsters a valuable introduction to a secure job. The coalition government has recognised it too, scrapping rules in 2011 that had formerly stopped 16- to 24-year-olds from doing unpaid work while claiming unemployment benefit. But moving from that to forcing them to work gratis in … Continue reading
It is one thing for the Conservatives to let the Liberal Democrats make the political weather. It is quite another to cede the terrain to the Socialist Workers Party. Yet this week, SWP activists have managed to whip up a storm of protest over the Goverment’s flagship work experience scheme, claiming – absurdly – that … Continue reading
Dublin has unveiled far-reaching plans to cut dole queues by targeting those at risk of long-term unemployment, introducing penalties for people who do not take up training, and inviting the private sector to provide job placements. The plan copies several ideas already in place in the U.K., France and Australia, including immediate on-the-spot assessments for … Continue reading