Business issues

The jobs market

Unemployment is likely to remain high through the coming months - and the UK has a more widespread problem of economic inactivity

What we do

Job creation depends on establishing a labour market that works for businesses and the wider society. The CBI's Getting the UK Working campaign is considering all these issues, supported by a steering group of business leaders and thought leaders in the fields of employment, skills and welfare, and will report in November.

Jobs market overview

There is a strong business case - as well as a social one - for addressing the problems of unemployment and non-participation in the labour market: Those in work are healthier, live longer and are better off. Firms' ability to access the right people with the right skills will help the UK to remain an attractive place to do business.

Agency work

The Agency Workers Regulations came into force on October 1, 2011. Despite the 12-week qualification period for each temp to be in a firm before the rules are applied, the regulations - which give agency workers equal treatment with employees of a firm - impose direct costs, compliance and administrative burdens and an increased risk of tribunal activity, affecting over 1.6m workers and costing employers an estimated £1.8bn a year.

We are calling for an early post-implementation review of the regulations in October 2012, and are keen to hear from members about their experience of the regulations now they have come into force. We continue to lobby for the removal of unnecessary gold-plating of the directive and for changes to the definition of pay and the operation of the qualifying period.