Jobs for the boys and girls…..

Another day, another set of statistics to pour over. This time it’s the unemployment ones, including the worrying fact that around one million 16-24 years olds are looking for work.

Interestingly enough on the same day that these statistics were issued another article was published which suggests that an increasing number of graduates are shunning the traditional job route and are going it alone by setting up their own businesses. Self employment in general has also reached a record high, a further sign of the changing nature of the employment that has clearly been given impetus by the current economic situation we are in.

However it is the unemployment story which dominates the headlines. No doubt the usual complaints are already being trotted out such as the educational system and how it fails to prepare young people for the world of work, and the unrealistic expectations of young job seekers.

However I rather think that the system is also failing to educate employers as to how new entrants into the workforce need to be treated, and their understandable limitations when they enter the workplace. It seems that too many employers seem to expect new entrants to be the finished article, conveniently forgetting that we all need to start somewhere.

“Yes but we don’t have time to do this” comes the response. Aside from being false economy it would be genuinely scary if today’s fast moving world simply did not allow organisations the time to induct, train and develop their workforce.

It is also said that today’s school leavers and graduates don’t have the right work ethic. This is rubbish. Leaving aside the question as to whether they ever did (go on be honest think back 30 years or so), school students today are assessed and monitored more frequently and intensely that they were in the past.

Grade inflation is another issue. There may be more As and A*s being awarded but it does not reduce the pressure and effort required to get them. A majority of Bs and Cs might have been acceptable years ago. Seemingly they are not any longer. Changes to exam modules are frequent and it is arguable as to whether there is a level playing field between students of the same generation let alone those of different generations.

The increasing desire of young people to start and manage their own businesses is one of the real positives of the current situation. Older people don’t have the monopoly on the skills necessary to be successful business people. Financial and business education is one area that the school system has yet to fully address and it would be good to see this becoming a core element of what passes for the national curriculum.

You may have gathered from the above that I have children which are at the exam stage of their schooling and that there is an element of self interest in all of the above. Perhaps that is the case but I do genuinely believe that we as members of Enterprise Britain should look at what we can do to improve this situation. This is something we are genuinely “all in together”.

The future is bright, the future is risky…..

Last week’s media was full of a survey that 20% of the working population fear for their jobs. This was naturally presented as a problem and another probable sign of imminent double dip recession.

Actually I want to turn this around. 80% of people in jobs obviously feel secure then. They believe that they are likely to remain in employment. In how many other countries of the world does this percentage of the working population have the luxury of knowing where their next paycheck is coming from? As you can see statistics can be used to make any point you want.

Naturally the figures above only tell part of the story. A number of people in employment obviously do feel insecure. However there is another group of people who know what insecure really means – people who are self-employed and/or running their own business. These have increased rapidly in number over the past few years as traditional employment routes become harder for many to follow.

A pattern is emerging. Things are changing. The old rules don’t apply anymore. Risk is becoming an increasing factor in people’s lives, even those who don’t seek it. This a complete reversal of the post war political and economic consensus (as I look at it that looks such an outdated term – for those that are not sure which war I mean it is the second world war). Uncertainty is back.

I can personally identify with this. Having gone down the freelance route I know that there is a big mental adjustment to make once that monthly salary no longer hits the bank account with metronomic regularity.   You have good times. You have not so good times. You deal with it and manage it. You learn to be flexible and organise your life and finances accordingly. Same as if you run your own business.

Young people are certainly learning this lesson. Get a degree and get a good job? End up with a large debt and no job at all more like. Job security? What’s that? Pensions? Don’t make me laugh. More and more of them are rejecting the secure employment lifestyle (assuming that they can find it) that their parents aspired to. They know that in order to survive in the future a new attitude is required. 

Post war British government has been based around de-risking life by introducing a wealth of social and employment protections. However life isn’t like that anymore. Risk is something that has to be recognised, embraced even, and managed. The next generation is starting to learn and adapt to this. And this ultimately has to be good for Enterprise Britain.