Category: News from the UK Jobs Market

Teachers’ Pay to Reflect Pupil Performance The Department of Education has recently come up with a radical new way to determine pay increases for all teachers. Up until now, teaching posts had an automatic pay rise policy wherein the length of employment would correlate to increments in pay. But under the new guidelines, automatic annual pay rises would be scrapped. Instead, schools can take feedback and reviews from pupils into consideration before determining pay rises for teachers. The new rule …

The Reality of Working in a Call Centre SERCO, the international service company has recently announced that 450 new jobs would become available with the company’s offices in Cardiff. The company opened it operations in Cardiff in 2011. At the time SERCO has announced the creation of 600 new jobs, but in reality 400 employees were hired. This year, the company aims to have a total of 850 employees working in its Cardiff operations. According to the company, the new …

Should Magistrates Have a Formal Legal Background? The magistracy is one of the oldest social institutions within Great Britain. Magistrates’ courts have a history that stretches back over 800 years, ever since King’s courts were established where prominent people from local communities dispensed justice in the name of the King. Today, of course, the role of magistrates is an officially voluntary position. Anyone above the prescribed age and without any conflicts of interest can apply to become a magistrate. Magistrates …

Are the Tracks Lined with Gold for Train Drivers Abroad? For those who are fascinated by trains and enjoy driving, there is nothing better than a career in train driving. Train driving can be the perfect profession for those who enjoy the thrill of driving a large vehicle, do not mind solitude and would like the security of a reasonably well paying job. The demand for train drivers within the UK increased sharply once the railways were privatised. But given …

The Truth about UK Unemployment Figures Doctoring data is not a new concept in the world of politics. Many of those in power, whether they are political parties, or individuals have chosen to ‘tweak’ statistical data in their own favour as a means to gaining public support and approval. In the midst of crumbling high streets, run down warehouses and shrinking public services, there is a strangely contradictory phenomenon emerging – the government’s employment figures. Recent employment figures seem to …

Should Magistrates be Offered Far Harsher Sentencing Powers? Magistrates’ courts are one of the oldest judicial institutions in our country. The history of magistrates’ and community courts goes back a long way, and today, magistrates’ courts remain an important part of the British justice system. Just recently, magistrates sentencing powers were debated in Parliament, amid overall proposed reforms of the entire justice system. Magistrates are volunteers who do not receive a salary for their work. They are required to be …

NHS Structure Changes: How they Might Affect Paramedics The coalition government’s Health and Social Care Bill is one of the most controversial reforms it has undertaken to date. The changes brought into effect by the bill have changed the way key services within the NHS will work in the future. The bill seeks to tackle changing social circumstances like increased longevity, and the growing need for home care etc. As well as changing economic pressures. The coalition’s proposals were first …

 Are Firefighters Being Pushed too Far? The economic crisis seems to have spawned a surge in public spending cuts that many feel will cause long term damage to the fabric of society. Slashing social care spending, housing benefits, budget squeezes for key public services like healthcare and safety, caps on salaries for public jobs: all these actions are ultimately expected to save money. But will they end up causing irreparable damage to our society? Take the case of fire fighting – …

Is Self-employment Your Best Way Forward? It hit the news recently that the number of people opting for self-employment has been steadily rising ever since the beginning of the economic meltdown in 2008-09. According to recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there has been an over 10% rise in the number of people in self-employment since 2008, and 367,000 more people were found to be self-employed compared to numbers in 2008! The key bit of information here …

What Level of Pay Rise Should Paramedics Expect in 2013? We are living in financially turbulent times, an age which is characterised by harsh spending cuts and increasing inflation. NHS staff including paramedics, midwives, nurses and doctors has had to live with a pay freeze for the past two years. This pay freeze is finally set to end in April 2013, but will the coming financial year see any significant rise in pay? The National Health Service has seen unprecedented …

The Job Security of Working in Retail Not a week goes by without deflating news about the economy. Rising inflation, growing unemployment, companies going to the wall, cuts in public spending – stories like these are all too common these days, and they signify the tough times that most of us have to face. Empty high streets and last clearance sale signs are a shockingly common sight today, and we have seen several retail names like Jessops, HMV, and most …

How is 2013 Looking for SME’s in the UK? No one can deny that this last year has been a hard one for small- and medium-sized enterprises in the UK, with banks being hesitant to loan money and customers being careful of how much money they spend. The Euro crisis has affected many businesses, whether directly or indirectly, and competition has never been fiercer. Those SME’s which have made it through these tough times are robust and adaptable, and it …

How on Earth Will Local Authorities Cope with Yet More Budget Cuts? Just when you thought we had seen the worst when it comes to budget cuts in local authorities, alas, it would appear we now have to batten down the hatches and prepare ourselves for yet another cruel slash. This is bound to lead to even more job losses in the local councils up and down the country; at a time when local authorities have already cut services and …

Why Do Firms of Solicitors Pay Such Poor Salaries?  In May of 2012 the Regulation Authority governing solicitors or SRA announced they were abolishing the current minimum wage standard paid to solicitors in training. Currently the minimum wage for solicitors in training is £18,590 in London and £16,650 elsewhere. However, beginning in August of 2014 these minimums vanish. While it sounds quite unbelievable, law firms will be able to pay solicitor trainees as low as £6.08 per hour. The Law …

The Right to Request Flexible Hours at Work Just when you might have thought the Government would be looking to go a little easier on companies for a while – what with there having been more and more bureaucracy and regulations being introduced lately to bog them down and force them even closer toward bankruptcy, yet another suggestion is being put forward that is absolutely bound to tug at the purse strings of employers even further. It has recently been …

Police Officer Starting Salary To Be Cut The Government has announced that a Police Officer’s starting salary is to be cut from £23,000 a year to £19,000. In a move which has angered many serving police officers and the National Police Federation, Theresa May, the current Home Secretary, has approved recommendations that were put to her by the Police Arbitration Tribunal. The recommendation has come about as a result of a review which focused on police pay, conditions and allowances. …

Redundancy Consultation Period to be Halved The recent move by the Government to halve the 90 day redundancy consultation period to 45 days is set to take effect in April 2013. While the Government clearly believes that this would make Britain more competitive and improve efficiency, those who oppose feel that halving the time will only serve to make it easier for businesses and companies to fire people and leave those made redundant at an increased risk of financial hardship. …

Britain’s Most Hated Career Choices When asked, what the most hated professions in the UK are, most of us can readily come up with a few answers. And one of the most common answer would probably be estate agents. But a recent survey shows, and yes there is an actual survey, that traffic wardens top the most hated career choice list. So what makes some professions so hated, some by the people doing the job, some by other people, and …

Are Call Centres the Modern Day Working Mill? Call centres have often been the target of satire and social commentary in recent times. Even as the manufacturing industry seems to be shrinking, the service industry has stepped up and filled its place, sometimes even literally. After all, what better use is there for old mills than as office space for call centres? While the manufacturing sector in the UK contributed 40% of the jobs in the nation, until after the …

Frontline Police Jobs Lost Due to Police Commissioner Farce In these times of austerity, a constant series of cutbacks and redundancies seems to be a feature of everyday life in both the private and public sectors. Nothing is more frustrating than when the Government itself wastes huge sums of money in a ridiculous manner, and a prime example of this was the Police Commissioner farce. Held in November 2012, it was a flagship policy of the Government intended to make …