This report makes the case for innovation in the jobs market, to help more people into sustainable work.

Key findings

We need innovative new ideas to:

• Create new markets and opportunities – for example, through ‘complementary currencies’, loyalty schemes or tax breaks.
• Support the self-employed – for example, apps that make it easier for small businesses to take on their first employee, which interact with HMRC systems.
• Link individuals to work – through organisations such as Women Like Us, which works with employers to design part-time jobs using the skills of women returning to work after maternity leave.

Few areas are in greater need of innovation. Unemployment remains high, particularly for young people, having a huge impact both on the economy and the wellbeing of millions of people.

To date, policy approaches have focused on the ‘supply side’ of the problem, and supporting people back into work. But these have only been partly effective and have reached a point of diminishing returns. It is clearly not enough to rely on the Work Programme as the sole source of innovation in this field.

What we really need is innovation across many parts of the system. This report highlights examples of jobs innovators around the world, identifies areas where innovation is most needed, and sets out how a more systematic approach could be taken.

Authors

Jo Casebourne and Nick Coleman