IF there was any doubt, Jeremy Hunt made it crystal clear this week that our economy is now in more trouble than a Qatari beer stand.
Most of the reasons he cited were obvious . . . the cost of the pandemic, Putin driving up the price of fuel, inflation, the last mini Budget. All bad news. We get it.
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But there was one issue the Chancellor highlighted that just doesn’t stack up, which is that since 2020 we have been saddled with an extra 630,000 “economically inactive” working-age people — those who don’t have a job and aren’t looking for one.
The work is out there. There are around 1.3million job vacancies in the UK. Industries such as hospitality and care homes are desperate for new recruits. The Bank of England has said this chronic shortage of workers is damaging our economy.
Yet we now have nine million people, not counting pensioners and children, who don’t contribute.
More than a fifth of working-age people find themselves economically inactive.
Some are in education, a staggering 2.5million of them are sick, while others have taken early retirement.
I have no problem with support for people in genuine need. That’s why we have a welfare state.
But what if it’s working against us?
The benefits system was set up to help those who can’t help themselves — those who can’t work because of long-term sickness or disability, or those who care devotedly for dependents.
Benefits are also an essential stopgap for people who find themselves in between jobs through no fault of their own. But an existence funded by state handouts has created a benefits trap.
Though Universal Credit ensures that having a job always pays better than not working, the system has a ludicrous glitch whereby many are better off in part-time work or lower-paid jobs.
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This was perfectly illustrated in this newspaper last year when single-mum Bernadette Humphries revealed she was deterred from taking a job paying £5,000 more because the Government would take away a “large chunk” of her benefits.
For every £1 earned over a claimant’s work allowance, the Government claws back a whopping 55p — discouraging them from getting better jobs or working longer hours. This is a trap the Government has created — and must fix. Of course, the reasons that lead a healthy adult to opt out of the workplace are many and varied.
I read the other day that there are 870,000 women who want to work but say they can’t afford childcare. But there is a lot of help out there. The Government provides up to 30 hours of free childcare a week for all three and four-year-olds in England, Wales and Scotland.
On top of that, if you are a working parent you can claim £2,000-a-year tax free (or £4,000 if your child is disabled) towards the cost of childcare.
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Yet 800,000 families don’t claim it because they are not working. Why not?
Recent retirees are another massive untapped resource. During the current cost-of-living crisis, plenty of older people will be tempted to go back to work and we should do everything possible to encourage them.
In such a tight job market, their experience and skills are at a premium.
But it’s not down to the workers to make all the running here. Bosses need to think carefully about how to make their workplaces more appealing if they want to entice people back in.
It’ is important to be flexible. Part-time hours, flexi-time and job shares can attract those who need to work around other responsibilities.
Companies should be loud and proud about their commitment to diversity and inclusion, and go out of their way to welcome older people into the workplace — perhaps without interrogating the gaps on their CVs too much.
These are all points that should be considered by Mr Hunt’s new review into what holds back workplace participation.
He also announced that the Government will ask 600,000 Universal Credit claimants to meet with a work coach to help them increase their earnings. They should look at that as an opportunity, not a threat.
Life is not always easy. But work is one of the best ways I know to fix that: Getting out of bed, smartening yourself up, figuring out what you’re good at, being praised, earning your own money.
All these things drive ambition, build confidence and move you on to the next step.
It really doesn’t matter where you start — it’s where you end up that counts.
But if you don’t take that first step, your life is going nowhere.
House chief’s shame
I WONDER how he can sleep at night.
Gareth Swarbrick – the former boss of the housing association responsible for the mould-infested home that killed little Awaab Ishak – should be ashamed of himself.
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Two-year-old Awaab died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom flat where he lived with his parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
The house was in an absolutely appalling state, with black mould spreading.
Faisal and Aisha made multiple complaints and asked to be rehoused – but they were not. And now their child is dead.
Swarbrick, the chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, was urged by many to resign last week, including Housing Secretary Michael Gove.
But he stubbornly refused, claiming he had the “full backing” of the board.
He was seemingly mistaken as they moved to oust him yesterday.
I welcome his departure but there are still serious questions to answer.
Justice at last
THERE were tears and hugging from the family benches as a Dutch judge convicted three men of murder for shooting down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 – killing all 298 people on board.
The men convicted included two former Russian intelligence officers – Igor Girkin and Sergey Dubinsky – as well as Ukrainian separatist leader Leonid Kharchenko, who was working for Russia.
The trio were found guilty of shooting down the plane with a Russian-made missile.
Russian officials described the verdict as “scandalous”.
But the only scandal is that this rotten regime has acted with impunity for years – with scant regard for international law or the lives of innocent civilians.
Anya proves that you can defeat the haters
THE utterly fabulous The Queen’s Gambit actress, Anya Taylor-Joy, has revealed that she spent her school days being bullied.
Almost impossibly, the stunning blonde was picked on for the way she looked.
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The actress had such a hard time at school that she dropped out aged 16 as a result.
Last week she thanked her parents for their support and for reminding her that it’s the inside – not the outside – of a person that matters.
That is a wonderful message and I’m so happy for her that she has such great parents. And what a good reminder that, no matter how difficult things can be in your childhood, they can totally turn around when you are an adult – and I am glad that they have for her.
But, my goodness, children sure can be cruel.
Mike’s look is pants
GOOD old Mike Tindall.
The former rugby star is providing top notch entertainment in I’m A Celeb with his hilarious and irreverent approach to life.
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I couldn’t help but giggle at his “nibble my nuts” boxers and his raucous tales of performing “slut-drops” while dancing with Princess Anne.
But if I could offer him just one bit of unsolicited advice – it would be to lose the budgie smugglers.
He really can’t seem to get enough of showing off his extensive and colourful collection of skimpy swimwear when stripping off for a dip in the camp creek.
I can’t be the only woman in the country to wonder: “Just why?”
And I’m afraid the tropical fruit pattern in particular is just beyond the pale. How did his wife Zara let him pack them?
I can only think he is wearing them for a bet.
Robbie mugged
PARENTS everywhere will be sighing with relief after Ayda Field’s welcome dose of honesty.
The stunning American model and wife of Robbie Williams admitted that their sex life was “completely dead” thanks to their four children.
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She joked: “I don’t remember the last time I went to bed with Rob at the same time.
“When there was romance, when that happens, there would be a communal sleeping place just out of physical need. But now that’s completely dead.
“It’s been obliterated by four kids.”
It comes just weeks after the Rock DJ singer said his wife gives him “everything he wants” in the bedroom.
I can’t be the only one left scratching my head over the couple, below.
But maybe he means a nice hot mug of Ovaltine.
