Most employers are still refusing to employ those who find it most difficult to get into work, according to new research.
More than 60% of employers say they would exclude anyone with a criminal record, a history of drug or alcohol problems or a history of long-term sickness/incapacity from the recruitment process.
These groups have been designated the ‘core jobless’ by the government and are a key factor in the success of initiatives such as Pathways to Work.
The CIPD’s quarterly Labour Market Outlook found that employers looking to fill job vacancies are far more likely to consider migrant workers or other groups of jobless people such as the over 50s and lone parents, rather than the ‘core jobless’.
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The research showed that:
- one third of employers think that the core jobless do not make reliable employees
- a quarter lack trust in the employability of the core jobless
- one fifth cite a ‘bad experience’ of people hired from one or other of the core jobless groups
- more than half (55%) of say that nothing would persuade them to recruit the core jobless.
CIPD chief economist John Philpott, said: “The government will have to reinvigorate its welfare-to-work agenda by making greater efforts to both improve the employability of the core jobless groups and by addressing negative employer attitudes to people in these groups.”
