Labour Market Inequality

This is a joint seminar/network meeting by the National Institute for Career Education and Counselling (NICEC) and the Employment Research Institute (ERI).

Date
Tuesday 19th September 2017: 2pm – 5pm (Lunch: 1.15pm).

Place
The Rivers Suite (Siegfried Room & Wilfred Room), Edinburgh Napier University Craiglockhart Campus.

Programme

Gender inequality in the labour market – Professor Robert Raeside
Women remain in a disadvantaged position compared to men in the labour market. To investigate why this is so, a study on the construction sector is presented. Construction faces the prospect of an ageing workforce and a predicted chronic skill shortage, yet women only have a minority representation in this industry. A survey was undertaken in 2015 using interviews and a quasi-quantitative method called Q methods to ascertain attitudes to working in construction. The results are presented and inferences drawn.

Socio-economic and spatial patterns of unemployment – Dr Helen Graham
Are some groups more likely to experience unemployment than others? Are labour market inequalities more pronounced in particular areas? This presentation will look at the way that Census and Labour Force Survey data can be used to address these questions, and the reliability of the answers this data can provide.

Experiences of disabled job seekers – Associate Professor Peter Robertson
The experiences of disabled benefit claimants and job seekers has attracted some attention in the media. This presentation reports on findings from research focused on participants in the UK Government’s Work Choices programme. Research interviews were conducted with job seekers with disabilities and mental health conditions on a programme delivered by Remploy in Edinburgh.

The ageing population and employers in Scotland – Dr Valerie Egdell
Increasing numbers of older workers are remaining in work as a result of population ageing, the abolishment of the default retirement age and the rising state pension age in the UK. Valerie will present key findings from a body of research on employer responses to population ageing in Scotland. In particular, she will consider the specific set of issues encountered by SMEs.

Plenary/panel session:
Labour market inequality – implications for career development work.

Registration
The seminar/network meeting is free to attend. Please RSVP Dr Gavin Maclean (g.maclean@napier.ac.uk) for catering purposes.