IFOW Director speaks at Department of Work and Pensions Select Committee

IFOW Director Anna Thomas has given evidence to the Department of Work and Pensions Select committee to support the government's preparations for changes in the world of work.

Anna highlighted the need for the increased collection and use of high quality data to support policy making in the midst of widespread labour market transformation:

"The DWP has access to a huge amount of data, which tends to be used more for determining access to claims than understanding the changing needs or skills and proactively supporting workers and the unemployed to transition. Overall, there needs to be a shift in the DWP from something that is reactive. Of course, it is widely known that there are significant gaps in coverage at the moment, being more proactive and supportive of workers in transition, the data being an example of that."

Anna also argued for the development of a Work 5.0 strategy to coordinate cross-departmental and cross-regional future of work policy:

"Automation well done - socially responsible automation - boosted by a floor of basic support from the DWP, could support levelling up from a variety of different perspectives against that background: from the perspective of economic mix, from job creation, from the point of view of supporting workers in transition, a move to good jobs and also increasing quality of work and a better spread, but it will need a joined-up approach, we think, with the Departments working together."
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The full transcript of the session can be accessed here.

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