The Quality of Work YEG Subgroup met last week to discuss Fair Employment. Our definition of fair employment is to provide good quality employment opportunities for young people, such as apprenticeships, graduate roles, entry-level jobs and supported internships. Fair employment also means that employers offer fair and safe opportunities and rewards in accordance with the highest industry standards.
The meeting heard expert insight on fair pay from Joe Richardson, Research Manager at the Living Wage Foundation, an employer’s perspective on fair employment from Peter Parish and Lien Cross from Surrey County Council as well as a young person’s perspective from Ella, a Youth Employment UK Youth Ambassador.
Joe Richardson: Living Wage Foundation
During our meeting, we heard from Joe Richardson from the Living Wage Foundation who spoke about the Real Living Wage and their research on working hours. The Real Living Wage is voluntary and paid by over twelve thousand employers in the UK. The Real Living Wage is calculated by using real living costs such as transport and household goods. Unlike the National Living Wage, the Real Living Wage provides higher pay for those in London due to the higher cost of living in London.
Joe highlighted that we saw a big increase in the rise of the National Living Wage in April 2022 from £8.91 to £9.50. Rises to the National Living Wage tends to have ripple effects on how much people are being paid, which can also increase the pay of those already earning over the rate of the Real Living Wage.
However, Joe also told the meeting that young workers are most at risk of earning less than the National Living Wage. This is, in part, due to younger workers typically having less experience, fewer formal qualifications and tend to work in low-paid industries such as hospitality and retail.
The Living Wage Foundation currently has two employer accreditation schemes which seek to ensure that all workers are able to earn a wage that they can live on.
Living Wage Accreditation – The Real Living Wage applies to all those aged 18 and older and has a higher regional rate in London to reflect higher costs. It is also based on actual living costs and is calculated each year to reflect changes in the cost of living.
Living Hours Accreditation – The Living Hours accreditation seeks to provide security for working hours alongside the Real Living Wage. Currently, Living Hours applies to everyone aged 18 and older and it requires employers to give at least 4 weeks’ notice with guaranteed payment if shifts are cancelled within this notice. In addition, it gives workers the right to a contract that reflects accurate hours worked and a guaranteed minimum of 16 hours a week unless the worker requests otherwise.
Peter Parish and Lien Cross: Surrey County Council
Peter who is a Performance Consultant spoke about what Surrey County Council have implemented to make sure they are a fair employer. He spoke about how they have inclusive recruitment and value attitudes and behaviors which are viewed as more important when hiring, as skills for young people can be taught as they come into the organisation. In addition, they give the interview questions fifteen minutes before the interview to try and calm the interviewees’ nerves.
Surrey County Council offers apprenticeships, work experience and graduate schemes to ensure their roles are accessible to all. Pay for apprentices is higher than the current apprenticeship minimum wage and this rises further in their second year. The council also uses some of its vacancies and puts apprentices into these roles the end of their apprenticeship they can be moved permanently into this role.
Surrey County Council offers targeted work experience to support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds gain valuable work experience opportunities. Surrey County Council have also created a virtual work experience offer through Youth Employment UK, which offers an insight into all the directorates at Surrey County Council.
Ella: Youth Ambassador
Ella is a Youth Ambassador Board Member at Youth Employment UK. Ella spoke about how during the pandemic her employer changed her contract to a zero-hour contract. She was given little notice about this change to her contracted hours.
Ella went on to speak about her experience with an employer who didn’t support her and her needs. She explained how this impacted her mental health. She explained how if she made a mistake it would be called out but she wasn’t supported to help her improve. She said that she felt she was “drowning in a sea of things she wasn’t getting help with doing.”
When asked “what makes a good employer?” She went on to say that a good employer supports staff by helping them with what they can improve on, but also tells them what they have done well. In addition, Ella mentioned the importance of contracted hours as they provide people with stability.
Why Was The YEG Set Up?
In 2020, in response to the crisis and its impact on young people, Impetus, Youth Futures Foundation, Youth Employment UK, the Institute for Employment Studies, the Learning & Work Institute and The Prince’s Trust formed the Youth Employment Group (YEG) to bring together the youth employment sector to help drive the UK’s response. Now with over 300 member organisations, our coalition advocates for full and inclusive employment for young people.
Youth Employment Group
