We welcome the Conservative’s proposals to cut National Insurance Tax, but insist that unless this tax cut is accompanied by concerted measures to address the multiple barriers that long-term unemployed face in moving into work, reversing the rising number of unemployed people will be impossible.

With 25 years experience in getting people into work, we have found our clients face complex barriers in taking up employment including:

• being a member of a workless household
• lacking qualifications
• having a history of offending and drug or alcohol misuse
• coping with disability
• being a single parent
• experiencing homelessness.

Family and housing problems, poor health and transport issues also make finding work hard, and negative experiences of work can discourage those already with low self-esteem.   Analysis of a sample of over 1000 of our unemployed clients found that:
· 82% faced two or more barriers to work
· 15% faced more than five barriers simultaneously.

Facing any one of these barriers can make labour market entry difficult – facing multiple barriers simultaneously presents a real challenge for jobless individuals seeking mainstream employment.  We call on all policies targeted at reducing unemployment to prioritise breaking down the barriers the long term unemployed face.

We urge any policy to increase employment take into account repeated calls from employers that new recruits are equipped with a variety of soft skills such as self-confidence, team work, interpersonal skills, communication skills, ability to work independently or in a team, and literacy and numeracy skills.   Individual characteristics are invariably more important than technical qualifications in securing work for those who have been out of the labour market for some time.