The government has unveiled more of its plans intended to encourage unemployed people to move into self-employment. A press release on the direct gov site says: “Later this month Jobcentre Plus will be running a campaign across all of its Jobcentres. Its advisers will send people interested in starting their own businesses towards the support - – - read more >

A lavish government mentoring scheme has kicked off today with expensive ads in many newspapers. For a change it’s not just spin – over 150 major companies are backing the plan to get unemployed people into work with the support of their own mentor. There is only one problem – you have to be aged under - – - read more >

In all the events and reports on worklessness that have come out over the last couple of weeks youth unemployment is always the central theme. But the evidence on youth unemployment is a bit like jelly – bright and brash on the surface, but 95 per cent water. You can’t use it to support anything. - – - read more >

Influential voices are calling for the current “default retirement age” of 65 to be scrapped. The latest call comes from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which has said that workers should be able to stay in their jobs beyond the age of 65. The EHRC polled 1,500 workers, and found that a relaxation - – - read more >

Just before the Christmas break the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) launched its latest White Paper Building Britain’s Recovery – Achieving Full Employment. Straight after the break we have The Prince’s Trust YouGov Youth Index 2010 survey. This includes the claim, which is already well-established in the popular mind, that young people are hit - – - read more >

Here’s a short fascinating research study by the Kauffman Foundation, which funds many education and entrepreneurship programmes in the United States. It’s fascinating not least because US trends often end up happening here eventually. According to the Foundation’s research it’s people in the 55 – 64 age group who are now responsible for the highest - – - read more >

Here we go again. George Osborne has announced plans at the Conservative Party conference to make us all keep working longer before we can draw our State Pensions. While this might a seem logical way to save public money it misses the same key point as most similar proposals to raise pension age. It assumes - – - read more >

Over 300 delegates from older people’s organisations poured into the Scottish Parliament at the bottom of The Royal Mile in Edinburgh on Friday 2nd October. This was the first Older People’s Assembly in Scotland of this size, and is certainly more than England, Wales and Northern Ireland have produced. There are a range of forums, - – - read more >

This week has seen a rash of media stories saying that youth unemployment is running out of control, in reaction to the official labour market statistics released in August. But the real story contained in the Office for National Statistics latest figures was rather different. Though both groups have a hard time in a recession, - – - read more >

On Wednesday 24th June some forty people drawn from civil servants and government agency staff (from BIS, DWP, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), business support organisations and industry met together to look at harnessing the enterprise, experience and skills of the 50+ to the labour market. It was chaired by Luke Johnson, chair of the - – - read more >

Two big changes affecting the way government deals with small business have emerged out of the current spate of resignations and today’s cabinet reshuffle. Firstly Alan Sugar, the business star from TV’s The Apprentice has accepted a new role promoting enterprise from within government. The role is unpaid, but Sir Alan is expected to accept - – - read more >

Over the next 20 years the UK’s population will age faster than ever before in its history. There will be 5.4 million more people of pension age – an increase of 45 per cent. At the same time, our working-age ratio is declining. This combination has serious implications for the economy, with proportionally fewer workers - – - read more >

It’s widely recognised that our population is ageing, the main cause being the post-war baby-boom. According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics last year (see ref 1), between 2006 and 2031, the overall population of England is set to rise from 50.76 million to 60.43m, a rise of 19.1 per cent. However, - – - read more >

A Channel 4 Dispatches documentary has revealed that substantial barriers still face older people in Britain’s job market – despite the passage of laws supposedly outlawing such ageism. Called “Too old to work“, the programme transmits on Monday the 9th of February. Not surprisingly, the investigation finds that being older – even over 45, is - – - read more >

When Enterprise Week was first invented a few years back PRIME was vociferous in pointing out that enterprise was not just for the young. Finally our lobbying paid off. In March 2008 “Enterprise: unlocking the UK’s talent“, the government’s new strategy on enterprise appeared. In it there was a small paragraph with major ramifications: “Given - – - read more >