About Activating Employers
Introduction
Post-pandemic labour market shortages remain a key concern for employers and policymakers. When labour markets are tight, there is increased pressure for employers to provide ‘good jobs’, not just any jobs. The Activating Employers project asks whether and how the US, UK and Australian governments are encouraging employers to improve job quality in high growth sectors with chronic labour shortages, thus moving away from the traditional Work First approach that had prevailed in Public Employment Services across the OECD.
The Project
The Activating Employers project makes several valuable contributions, acting as a comprehensive resource centre for employment service professionals, policymakers, and academics interested in social procurement and Public Employment Services reform. It provides high-quality, easily understandable narratives and policy briefs for policymakers, journalists, and practitioners. Additionally, it highlights compelling case studies of public procurement initiatives aimed at creating quality jobs.
This interdisciplinary initiative brings together experts in employment and welfare law, public policy and management, and business studies. The core objectives of the project include:
- Consolidating the knowledge base on good jobs versus work-first agendas in the UK, the US, and Australia.
- Conducting a systematic review on the use of procurement contracts and community benefit agreements in these countries.
- Undertaking an in-depth, granular analysis of ongoing regulatory reforms in employment and welfare-to-work programmes through dialogue with relevant stakeholders.
- Assessing whether post-Covid-19 labour shortages are driving changes in business models to enhance employment sustainability or if policymakers remain committed to a work-first agenda.
The project's distinctive value lies in its strong comparative dimension, focus on regulatory tools and legislation, and analysis of standard-setting activities by public authorities.
This research is generously supported by a £481,309 grant from the Economic and Social Research Council (grant number ES/X000583/1).
