Business is on the up says CBI chief
CBI boss John Cridland says too many people in industry are on the minimum wage and by implication the sign-making industry is employing too many people on low hourly rates.
Thursday, 09 Jan 2014 14:53 GMT
Situations vacant: the economy is on the up say the CBI
In a New Year address he says: “The recovery is taking root and business leaders have a spring in their step compared to this time last year, but this is no time to rest on our laurels.
“Businesses must support employees in every part of the country to move up the career ladder, while also giving a helping hand to young people taking their first tentative steps into the world of work.
“As the financial situation of many firms begins to turn a corner, one of the biggest challenges facing businesses is to deliver growth that will mean better pay and more opportunities for all their employees after a prolonged squeeze.”
He says that many part-time jobs and short-term contracts are becoming full-time posts and that last year more apprentices were taken on than ever before. In what could be seen as criticism of Labour's plans to intervene in the flexible labour market with the introduction of a living wage level Cridland says: “Those who propose to damage that flexibility with inappropriate regulation put the very system that has kept unemployment here far lower than elsewhere at risk. And they miss the point; it’s not just the floor we should be concerned with—as Britain has a strong base of employment rights. It is also the escalator—how we ensure people move on from that first job.”
“However, at the moment, employers and potential students alike simply don’t have enough information on study options like higher apprenticeships and part-time higher education. That’s despite some excellent, well-established, programmes.
The head of the Council of British Industry also says there are too many workers on the minimum wage creating a challenge for business and the Government”
“We need a UCAS-equivalent vocational system, with similar standing, to help raise awareness and parity of esteem for alternative routes to higher skills.
The head of the Council of British Industry also says there are too many workers on the minimum wage creating a challenge for business and the Government.
Unite has called for the minimum wage to increase to tackle the growing cost of living crisis after a YouGov poll showed overwhelming support for the move by the public. Backing for the idea is universal according to the pollster with three in four of those intending to vote Conservative, along with nearly three quarters of UKIP voters and over 90 percent of Labour and Lib Dem voters in favour.
It is being widely reported in the national press this week that David Cameron is keen to head off Labour's argument that the minimum wage is too low by considering an increase. Business would be compensated with a lowering of National Insurance contributions. This will come as welcome news for the sign-making industry if it means more hourly-paid workers can be hired without escalating costs.
