This was the first conference with Jo Swinson at the helm and there was a real sense of energy as the party welcomed several new MPs to the party, including former Labour shadow minister Chuka Umunna and former Conservative leadership contender Sam Gyimah.

Unsurprisingly, Brexit dominated the agenda, with the Lib Dems setting their stall as the party for remaining within the EU. Our discussions with party members and stakeholders around some of the fringe events were an opportunity to flag the latest insight from our research and from recruiters on business confidence and current jobs market trends.

The REC policy team met with the party’s economic and business advisor to share the REC’s position on the Apprenticeship Levy, IR35 and immigration policy. The Lib Dems recently unveiled plans to reform the levy and introduce a Personal Education and Skills Account (PESA), which both government and employers would contribute to. Similar policies have already been adopted in parts of Europe and even in other parts of the UK (Individual Training Accounts in Scotland). 

At present the vast majority of recruiters who pay the levy cannot use the funds available, which is why changing the current Apprenticeship Levy to a more flexible training levy remains an industry-wide priority.

Following this, the REC attended the Lib Dems’ business lunch alongside other representative bodies and leading employers. Party leader Swinson made an impassioned pitch to the selected audience: “We want to make the Lib Dems the party for business.” She recognised the need to support employers and the role that ‘responsible businesses’ across different sectors play within their local communities. 

Our message is that responsible business practices must include a specific focus on inclusive and responsible hiring procedures. This is a core aim of the wide-ranging Good Recruitment Campaign and is a good platform for showcasing the work of recruitment professionals, and for demonstrating that flexibility and good work go hand in hand.

The Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor and spokesperson for business Ed Davey provided further details in his speech, including proposals to cut business rates and breathe new life into the country’s high streets. He also promised to make the UK the green financial capital of the world, creating well-paid green jobs. Feeding into the green jobs agenda is a further opportunity for the recruitment industry to take a lead on the future of jobs.

There are real opportunities to position our industry’s voice at the forefront of all key labour market-related debates and use relationships with policy makers to develop new solutions to emerging challenges. The Lib Dem conference in Bournemouth was a good example of this. Our next stop is Brighton with Labour.

If you want to support the REC’s industry-wide campaign to broaden the Apprenticeship Levy you can sign the petition here.

Ornella Nsio is stakeholder engagement manager at the REC.

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