Latest drive to tackle Wolverhampton's high unemployment rates

Statistics show Wolverhampton has the fourth highest level of unemployment in the country, with economic inactivity being exacerbated by the pandemic.

The council’s Stronger City Economy Scrutiny Panel will receive the presentation from Director of Regeneration Richard Lawrence this week.

In a report to members, Mr Lawrence said: “The presentation will focus on the activity around jobs, skills and learning opportunities, as well as providing a background to regional and national data and trends.

“It will provide an overview of work emerging within jobs, skills and learning opportunities, including Wolves at Work, Kickstart and Learning City.

“Youth unemployment is highest in the country – over 2,660 young people aged 18 to 24 are not in education, employment or training (EET).

“Barriers to employment or training include lack of engagement with the job and learning opportunities; low skill levels, low academic attainment and a lack of clarity over what opportunities are available.

“Also, ineffective careers information, advice and guidance (IAG), a mismatch between supply and demand of job vacancies leading to skills gaps and skills shortages, and low aspiration and inter-generational unemployment,” added the report.

It also detailed future workforce challenges and opportunities as follows:

• Recruitment – employers are reporting a high number of vacancies which they cannot recruit to

• A gap in ‘inclusive employment’ – employers need to be encouraged to access new talent pools

• Employee expectations have changed since the pandemic – staff looking for flexible working opportunities which some employers cannot or do not provide. Some people are hesitant about returning to the office, whilst others prefer not to work from home

• Lack of investment in skills and training – some employers are not planning sufficiently, which is resulting in recruitment issues, unmotivated workforces and impact on productivity

• Employment growth – we need to understand if we have got the right skills and talent pool to fulfill job roles in the future

“The city council is leading and facilitating a one-city approach to increasing youth employment, focusing on those young people aged 18 to 24 who are claiming Universal Credit,” the report added.

“This is backed by the Wolves at Work 18-24 Programme of targeted interventions, funded by an initial £3 million budget, from a combination of the Recovery Reserve and Covid Emergency Grant.

“Wolves at Work is a partnership between the council and DWP that started in 2017 to help job-ready residents into sustainable employment, and to help businesses fill vacancies and meet their corporate social responsibility.”

Since the start of the partnership, Wolves at Work has supported 6,767 people into work, with 4,022 sustaining that job for three months or more.

“The number of residents with no qualifications has reduced significantly since 2004,” said the report.

In 2004 there were 34,700 Wolverhampton residents without a qualification. By 2020 this had reduced to 19,900 – a reduction of 42 per cent.

The gap between Wolverhampton, the region and the country has also narrowed. In 2004, there was a 5.3 per cent gap between Wolverhampton and the West Midlands region, in 2020 the gap was 4 per cent.

In 2004, there was a gap between Wolverhampton and Great Britain of 8.7 per cent. In 2020 the gap was 5.9 per cent.

The council’s Stronger City Economy Scrutiny Panel will received the presentation on Thursday.