Personnel Today readers are abandoning Labour, with their votes now divided between the two main parties, we can reveal.
A survey of almost 7,000 Personnel Today readers shows 34% plan to vote Labour, 34% Conserva-tive, and 23% Liberal Democrat.
This is a marked departure from four years ago, when 49% voted Labour, 29% Conservative and 18% Liberal Democrat.
Minor parties also get a look in from our readers: 9% plan to support parties such as the Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru, and the Green Party.
When asked what influences their vote, 71% of respondents said they were influenced equally by professional and private interests, while 28% were motivated mainly by their personal life, and just 1% was mostly influenced by their profession.
Ninety-one per cent of respondents said they planned to vote. In 2001, the general election saw the lowest turnout since the Second World War at 59%, but 84% of respondents cast a vote in 2001.
The three things our readers most want the next government to tackle are: government-funded pensions incentives, skills shortages, and a single equality Act to tackle workplace discrimination.
However, some Personnel Today readers would like to see the government create other policies. Among the suggestions are: less regulation, less taxation, simpler benefits and deductions systems, restoration of a pensions tax credit to approved pension schemes, as well as the elimination of ‘politically correct’ posts within public sector bodies.
Our readers would also like to see assistance with the costs and logistics of maternity and paternity benefits, combined tax and NI structures to simplify collection and reporting of taxation, and measures to ensure OFR reporting is meaningful.
Two-thirds of the 6,788 readers who responded were manager level or above.
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On the wish list…
- Government-funded pensions incentives
- More done to beat skills shortage
- A single equality Act to tackle workplace discrimination
- The right to request flexible working extended to all
- More money spent on education of 14- to 19-year-olds
- Immigration quotes that take business needs into account
- Higher taxation for top earners
- More investment/funding/tax credits for childcare
- Greater maternity/paternity rights
- Scrapping the DTI in a bid to cut red tape
- Tighter CSR regulations
Source: Personnel Today
