Future-gazing

The REC-led Future of Jobs Commission is taking shape, says Tom Hadley, REC director of policy and professional services

 

In addition to our work to influence current labour market debates, such as our recent report on post-Brexit immigration, the REC has been doing a fair amount of future-gazing since launching our Future of Jobs Commission in June.

Here are some of the initial discussion points identified by our expert group of employers, academics, think tanks and labour market experts:

  • What should a future jobs market look like? Rather than predicting what might happen, the commission is tasked with articulating what the future UK jobs market should look like, and outlining a road map for making it happen. The £35 billion question is, what kind of recruitment industry and jobs market do we want to see emerge post-Brexit?
  • Can there be one vision that works for everyone? Can a jobs market simultaneously meet the needs of employers as well the needs and aspirations of individual workers? The commission will build a consensus about areas where there is common ground.
  • How can employers and individuals prepare? TREC17 was an opportunity to take stock of how employers are planning for the future in areas such workforce demographics, working patterns and inclusive recruitment. We clearly still have a need to better prepare the next generation of workers – this is an issue we’ve been talking about since our youth employment taskforce back in 2010. The commission will provide some fresh thinking on how we can finally make this happen.
  • What place will the recruitment industry occupy? Will technology drive ‘dis-intermediation’ or will recruiters provide an increasingly important outlet for clients and candidates seeking to make sense of an evolving jobs landscape? The move towards “more tailored-made, output-based recruitment solutions” was flagged in the World Employment Confederation’s Future of Work white paper – a core aim of the commission is to take a view on how seismic changes to the way we live and work will impact the role of recruitment professionals.

The best way to predict the future is to create it, which is why we will actively be seeking the views and input of REC members as the project progresses. 

You can follow Tom on Twitter @hadleyscomment

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