There’s a cost-of-living crisis and vacancies are at a record high. How do we get those pay packets into the pockets of the most vulnerable?

In the three months to the end of May the number of job vacancies in the UK climbed to a record high. There were 1.3 million unfilled roles in the country, up 20,000 on the previous three months and more than 500,000 more than the pre-pandemic level at the start of 2020.

It’s a jobseeker’s market – but the flipside for those out of work or in low-paid employment is that this shortfall in workers risks fuelling inflation and exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis.

Much has been made of the changing face of Britain’s workforce, especially the rate at which older people are becoming unemployed. Economic inactivity among those aged 50-64 is still higher than it was before Covid hit; while employment levels for younger people have bounced back. 

Campaigners like the Centre for Ageing Better are right to point out that employers can’t afford to ignore this cohort of potential employees, especially in this climate. But this is only part of the story.

Age is not the only barrier keeping potential workers from filling those roles and fulfilling their potential. Long-term unemployment, a patchy work history, a lack of confidence (maybe all three) can hold people back when they want to be moving forward.

Basic skills, digital access and skills, confidence-building and skills assessments can all help to support people into work who may have counted themselves out of the labour market

Lynsey Sweeney, Communities that Work

Lynsey Sweeney is managing director of Communities that Work, the national body that helps social landlords to support people into employment.

She says what we’re dealing with at the moment is a “participation crisis”.

“We’re not suggesting that all working-age people can work – many people need support with health and caring responsibilities,” she says. “But many more ‘economically inactive people’ could gain the benefit of work – pay, people, prospects – with better and deeper levels of mid-term support, a few months or a year-plus, to get the chance to make changes and progress into working life.

“Basic skills, digital access and skills, confidence-building and skills assessments can all help to support people into work who may have counted themselves out of the labour market. FE colleges are great, but not everyone feels confident to walk in, so the role of local housing providers – as trusted neighbourhood managers – can make a real difference in reaching people, households and communities and meeting their needs.”

She stresses that while apps and tools can be great for guiding people towards the right job, they are no substitute for building relationships and trust. Support as someone gains a job, and again as they progress within their sector, gives that worker not only confidence but security, she says.

Clean Slate’s jobseekers programme 7 Signs has always focussed on those who face the biggest barriers to finding employment. What marks it out is centring the jobseeker in their journey – encouraging them to think about what kind of job they’d enjoy and why an employer would be lucky to have them.

Once they’ve identified their dream role, they’re encouraged to think about the best way to tackle the barriers that stand between them and a job offer.

It’s an ongoing aim that Clean Slate sets up 7 Signs trainees with paid work experience opportunities. 

And as the staffing crisis in the care sector continues, Clean Slate has been identifying people using our services who have all the makings of a successful care professional (or advice/support worker) – not least their lived experience. It’s called the Elements programme and while participants may have the skills and knowledge in place already they often need support to believe that their life experience really does equip them for paid work. Caring and capable, just low in confidence.

Plenty of Clean Slate employees have come up through this route over the years. After 7 Signs training, if there are vacancies, suitable candidates are sometimes offered a support role as a peer worker (from there they can train to become support workers). With their lived experience and their new-found self-belief, they can really flourish.

It’s been a great learning curve, developing my skills gained from a peer worker into support work

Lettie, Clean Slate support worker

Feedback from the peer worker training has been positive. Lettie is a Clean Slate support worker who progressed from peer working in January this year.

“It’s been a great learning curve,” she says, “developing my skills gained from a peer worker into support work. I felt confident throughout the transition, knowing that I’d done a variety of the tasks involved already in my peer work. And the support from my team was amazing.”

But Clean Slate is only one potential employer. Latest ONS figures show the health and care sectors are among those suffering most from low staff levels. In fact, the number of unfilled posts jumped by nearly 151,000 at the start of this year to a massive 4.6 million.

And as retail struggles too, high street cobbler chain Timpsons has a long tradition of seeing employability where others may not. Around ten per cent of their workforce has had a criminal conviction, for example. 

It began with a single ex-offender called Matt. Timpsons boss James Timpson took part in a prison visit back in 2002. He met Matt there and knew he’d be a great fit for the business – on his release he walked straight into a job with them. James’s instincts were right and Matt went on to become a branch manager.

Now the firm proactively recruits ex-offenders. It’s a business decision as much as anything else – the company says the “vast majority” grab this second chance with both hands and their retention rate is 75 per cent. 

Similarly, there’s another untapped pool of potential recruits within the SEND (special educational needs and disability) community. With only around six per cent of people with SEND in work, it’s clear there must be untapped potential within this community.

Clean Slate recently produced Opening Doors, a digital magazine that tells employers the things they need to know if they have opportunities that might fit the bill. It’s the second iteration of the magazine – the hope is there will be many more.

But making the shift into a new era of recruitment, where more people can find work that previously felt unobtainable and more employers are enjoying the benefits of a happy and loyal workforce, will take money as well as good intentions.

Lynsey Sweeney advocates for skills funding that is expanded into community learning.

She says: “All eyes on the autumn Budget then, from a new Chancellor.”