The Work Revolution

There is a revolution under way in Britain's labour market.

Since COVID-19 - which is where RETHINK on Radio 4 began - there has been extraordinary upheaval in Britain’s workforce.

The number of people who are economically inactive - working-age adults who are not in work or looking for jobs - has soared by over half a million, to nearly 9 million. The number of people who are long-term sick, meanwhile, has risen by over 350,000, to 2.5 million.

At the same time, there are almost more jobs going than ever - and more people arriving in Britain than ever.

The labour market now encompasses three peculiar economic bedfellows: mass joblessness, mass worker shortages, and mass immigration. What is driving this and what should the policy response be?

Amol Rajan discusses with a panel:

Vince Cable - former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills from 2010-2015, and author of How to Be a Politician
Fraser Nelson - editor of the Spectator, and columnist for The Daily Telegraph
Ben Habib - former Brexit party MEP for London, chief executive of the First Property group
Dr Miatta Fahnbulleh - chief executive of the New Economics Foundation