In June, we reported on the number of people missing out on sick pay; dissatisfaction among HR professionals; and the skills gap being set to worsen.
A million of UK’s lowest earners miss out on sick pay
More than a million (1.15 million) workers – 3.5% of the UK workforce – are not eligible for statutory sick pay (SSP) as they do not meet the earnings threshold of £123 per week, a report from think tank The Work Foundation revealed.
The value of sick pay has halved relative to earnings since its introduction in the 1980s, meaning that if a worker is eligible, SSP currently replaces 17% of average weekly earnings.
Nearly half (47%) of employers do not go beyond the statutory minimum level of sick pay provision.
“Regardless of salary level, organisations should be offering the same amount of sick leave to all employees,” commented Vicky Walker, group director of people at Westfield Health.
HR ready to jump ship amid C-suite disputes
More than half (57%) of HR professionals plan to look for a new job this year, a survey by financial adviser Octopus Money found.
This compared with 46% of non-HR employees surveyed, who said they would look for a new job in 2024.
HR professionals feeling “underutilised and undervalued” could be dangerous for businesses, Max Specht, workplace trends expert at the HR technology business Personio, said.
Skills gap to worsen by 2035, research suggests
Up to 7 million workers in England may lack the essential skills to do their jobs by the year 2035, research by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) revealed.
The number of workers in England that lack the skills needed for their job may increase from 13% (3.7 million people) to 22% (7 million) in 2035, unless urgent action is taken.
The NFER defines essential skills as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, organising, planning and prioritising work, creative thinking and information literacy.
“Employers have warned about widening skills gaps for some years,” said Paul Heath, head of client solutions at learning and development consultancy OnTrack International.
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