DWP's new message to the unemployed and long-term sick

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is poised to unveil a "groundbreaking" White Paper this Autumn, aimed at returning a greater number of unemployed and long-term sick individuals to the workforce. Officials guiding the Labour Government as it addresses what's been described as 'the greatest employment challenge for a generation' had their first discussion with the Work and Pensions Secretary on Monday.

The newly formed Labour Market Advisory Board, which Labour's Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall MP has ushered in, is populated with specialists spanning the fields of business, industrial relations, and academia. During the board's inaugural gathering, participants proffered innovative strategies to underpin government activities focused on economic inactivity.

They addressed potential solutions for the underlying reasons people stay out of the labour market, such as suboptimal physical and mental health conditions, and debated how the collective could support the government's aim for an 80 per cent employment rate.

Tasked with crafting fresh concepts and initiatives for the Work and Pensions Secretary to evaluate, the board takes on the challenge of reducing economic inactivity figures. Notably, the UK stands alone among G7 nations in not having its employment and inactivity rates rebound to pre-pandemic standings, a challenging legacy bequeathed by its predecessors, reports the Daily Record.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall MP, remarked: "Spiralling inactivity is the greatest employment challenge for a generation, with a near record 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness. Addressing these challenges will take time, but we're going to fix the foundations of the economy and tackle