‘Work first’ can work better
More people in employment is possible, with reforms to work and welfare policy.
Briefing
Work
Work
Insights and policy proposals to improve the quality of work in the UK and enable more people access to good jobs.
Our mission
JRF wants more people in work in the UK to have good and secure employment. We don’t accept that the only route to a thriving labour market is rising insecurity at work. Instead we advocate for government policy changes to increase rights and improve standards at work.
We back innovation and growth of unions and pro-worker organisations that increase worker power, and we want to see more employers taking proactive decisions to improve the quality of the jobs they offer. For example, jobs where workers have:
- notice of shift changes
- stable hours (if wanted)
- good pay
- progression opportunities
Labour market participation
We also want to see increases in labour market participation in the UK, with more people entering employment and benefitting from the income boost that comes with getting a job.
We think that the policies and practices in our work and welfare system are falling short when it comes to effectively supporting people into work (for example, support for and engagement with those out of work isn't as good as it could be). DWP prioritises monitoring benefit claimants over supporting them. We’ll provide proposals for reform in this area.
