‘Missed opportunities’ in Queen’s Speech to create fairer economy

Although UK industry welcomed most of the plans outlined in the Queen’s Speech, many also highlighted the missed opportunities to create a fairer economy for all.

Yesterday, the Queen officially opened UK Parliament, setting out the Government’s priorities for the coming parliamentary session. She introduced thirty pieces of legislation intended to be passed this year. “The Government’s priority is to deliver a national recovery from the pandemic that makes the United Kingdom stronger, healthier and more prosperous than before,” stated the Queen. “To achieve this, my Government will level up opportunities across all parts of the United Kingdom, supporting jobs, businesses and economic growth and addressing the impact of the pandemic on public services.”

Following the unprecedented support provided to businesses during the pandemic, “proposals will be brought forward to create and support jobs and improve regulation,” she added. That includes legislation to support a lifetime skills guarantee to enable flexible access to high quality education; and training throughout people’s lives (through the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill). Measures will also be brought forward to address racial and ethnic disparities and ban conversion therapy. Additionally investment in new green industries to create jobs has been promised.

WELCOME MEASURES TO BUILD BACK BETTER

Many industry experts welcomed the new laws set out in the speech as they cement the Government’s motto to “level up” and “build back better”, after the pandemic’s disruption to the economy, by focusing on life long skills. The Chartered Management Institute, for example, welcomed the focus on skills; but warned that the Government must turn its attention to implementing reforms immediately.

“We’re delighted to see the Queen’s Speech focus on skills; it’s the right priority in a post-Brexit, post-pandemic UK. And a greater level of employer engagement will help ensure we develop the skills that businesses actually need; creating more opportunities for those seeking employment and building a stronger, more resilient economy,” stated Ann Francke, Chief Executive of the Chartered Management Institute.

The Government “must waste no time in implementing these reforms,” she added. “And the PM will have to personally drive this process at pace to ensure support for lifelong learning is achieved in this Parliament; not after the next election. If training and vocational education finally get the attention and focus they deserve, there is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance the management and leadership skills base of our towns and cities as we work to build back better.”

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR INCLUSIVE GROWTH

CBI’s Chief UK Policy Director Matthew Fell said that businesses shared the Government’s ambition to “turbocharge the UK’s recovery post-pandemic and reset the economy”. “The Queen’s Speech provides the building blocks for a decade of transformation and inclusive economic growth. It’s right that the golden thread in this legislative agenda is levelling-up the country,” commented Fell.

However, he agrees with Francke. “We haven’t got a moment to lose,” he pointed out. “The strong focus on skills will support high quality, local jobs. The emphasis on rail, bus and digital will better connect local economies. And a fresh approach to innovation will unlock big, bold ideas and new sources of growth around the country.”

The focus on skills certainly was also welcomed by industries like construction, which often struggle to get qualified talent. Eddie Tuttle, Director of Policy, External Affairs and Research at Chartered Institute of Building, said he “welcomed the announcement of a new Lifetime Skills Guarantee as part of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill; to give everyone the chance to acquire new expertise at any stage of their lives, so that they have the skills employers need”. 

STEADY LABOUR SUPPLY

“Ensuring the construction industry has a steady supply of labour with the necessary skills continues to be a significant challenge,” noted Tuttle. “We believe that a jobs-led recovery focused on helping the UK meet its targets for improving air quality, lowering carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency through the retrofitting of the existing building stock is one such mechanism.”

However, he said he wants a “detailed strategy” from Government setting out how it plans to increase the numbers of young people joining overlooked sectors such as construction. “We urge them to work with the sector to identify in-demand and future skills; whilst promoting accessibility, to make sure that the skills strategy interacts and compliment other pieces of proposed legislation, to ensure a holistic approach,” he added. 

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR WORKING PARENTS  

But industry experts like CBI’s Fell felt there were “some missed opportunities” to build back better and create a fairer economy for all. “Firms were looking for greater impetus on enabling legislation to speed up the race to zero, and action on business rates to stimulate investment and revive our high streets,” highlighted Fell.

Woking Families also believes the Government has also missed a golden opportunity to build back better. It said that plans don’t go far enough to provide help for the UK’s 13 million working parents. “We are disappointed to see that the Government’s Employment Bill seems to have fallen off the legislative agenda in today’s Queen’s Speech,” said Working Families in a statement. “Back in 2019, the Government promised to bring forward the Bill and use it to do a number of things that would transform working live for millions of people with caring responsibilities: make flexible working the default for new jobs, provide workers in insecure jobs with rights to have more predictable schedules, strengthen redundancy rights for new mothers and offer neo-natal care leave.” But this Bill has been delayed because of the pandemic.

LONG OVERDUE EMPLOYMENT BILL

Neil Carberry, Chief Executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) was also surprised by the lack of a specific Employment Bill in the speech. But he hopes “the commitment on plans to support jobs and improve regulation will see key issues tackled in the near future”.

An Employment Bill, however, is “long overdue”, pointed out Carberry. “It was due to contain a number of measures to extend and protect workers’ rights, and create a Single Enforcement Body to tackle abuses in the labour market – and could also have provided further guidance on flexible working and the regulation of umbrella companies. We hope to hear more about these issues from government as they can’t just be side-lined as the labour market recovers.”

CLARITY NEEDED FOR DISABLED PEOPLE

Business Disability Forum was also disappointed not to see more on employment, specifically. Although it welcomed legislation aimed at increasing skills and training for young people and adults, it has called for clarity on how this will convert to long-term job prospects for disabled people. 

“Legislation announced today to increase the skills of young people and adults is to be welcomed, but more needs to be done to address the specific barriers that disabled people experience in both pre and post-16 education,” sated Angela Matthews, Head of Policy at Business Disability Forum. “We also heard very little today about how the lifetime skills guarantee will convert to lasting job opportunities for disabled people, as businesses continue to deal with the fallout from the pandemic.”

For many disabled people, “the barriers to learning begin in primary education and continue through to secondary,” Matthews pointed out. “These are predominantly due to a lack of adjustments and assistive technology that suit the way that some people learn. Many disabled people have told us they have studied later in life for this reason.” 

“It is not clear how the Lifetime Skills Guarantee will deliver lifetime careers and job opportunities for disabled people,” added Matthews. And any post-16 and adult “education opportunities need to be inclusive,” she highlight. “We are waiting to see the role that skills and training will play in the Government’s expected National Disability Strategy; and how that, in turn, will help close the disability employment gap. There are still many questions to be answered.”

MEASURES TO REDUCE ETHNIC DISPARITIES

Nevertheless, many like REC’s Carberry praised the Government’s plans to “work on reducing ethnic disparities in the economy”; which he hopes will include the introduction of mandatory ethnic pay gap reporting as a way to improve diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Finally, Peter Holbrook, CEO of Social Enterprise UK, also believes that the Conservative Government has “missed an opportunity” by not announcing a stronger Social Value Act. “With the UK leaving the European Union, there is an opportunity for the Act to be enhanced and used more widely, helping drive local economic growth and build a fairer and more plural economy,” stated Holbrook.

Click here for a full transcript of the Queen’s speech. Many business experts also highlighted that the last UK budget announcement did not go far enough to address vital skills needed to help the economy recover, as reported.