JSNA – People – Employment

Last Updated: May 2024

The Employment Dashboard details employment data in Barnet benchmarked against London and England with demographic breakdowns included. The dashboard is organised into two sections:

• Labour Supply and Demand: indicators for (un)employment rate, employees by industry, and wages.
• Benefits and Financial Support: indicators for universal credit, employment and support allowance, carers allowance, attendance allowance, and personal independence payment.

Headline Figures

• Between October 2022 and September 2023, 28.8% of residents aged 16-64 years in Barnet were economically inactive – this is higher than both the London and England average.
• Specific demographic groups that have shown an increase in economic inactivity are males and ethnic minority groups.
• The predominant employment sector in Barnet is healthcare, representing a higher proportion of workers than both London and England.
• Residents who are aged 35 to 49 years, females and unemployed residents in Barnet were most likely to claim Universal Credit.

Narrative

The world of work is changing.  An acceleration of technology is changing the way we work; from the wide-ranging potential of AI to the continuation of remote working for many and the growth of the “gig” economy.  This presents both challenges and opportunities.  Ingeus who deliver Restart in Barnet tell us that they see AI is an opportunity, using machine learning in POWER BI to help analyse profiles, provide action plans and to create CVs and covering letters, improving service efficiency.

As we develop our plans for the new world of work, we remain closely aligned to the London Councils’ vision for Employment and Skills Devolution, including designing a more personalised, human centred approach, easier navigation of the system for Londoners, a good job (not just any job), greater co-ordination and co-investment with employers and support for a transparent employment and skills system that is evidence led.

When it comes to evidence, the data for employment and the economy is fascinating and essential to understanding the real picture, and to help us develop targeted responses. However, this does not tell the whole story as so many things are happening in the background that are not picked up by the data; or there is nuance around the data that needs to be understood. 

For example, ‘Economically Inactive’ includes those in full time education, retired people, full time carers and those who are unable to work due to health issues.  It is therefore difficult to pinpoint reasons for trends and changed %s for this group.  With low numbers of NEETs in Barnet, we know that the majority of under 24 year olds who are not working are at school or college.  For older groups we have seen evidence of people taking early retirement and nationally there is an increase in those on long-term sick and/or dependent on health-related benefits.  Supporting people who are not working due to health conditions is a priority nationally, and locally.  There are additional resources provided by funding through initiatives including WorkWell and Work and Health Programme, and BOOST continue to prioritise specialist support for this group into employment.

Our priorities continue to be 1) the best possible opportunities for young residents, 2) connecting and providing support into work for the economically Inactive who are furthest from the labour market, and 3) help for low-income workers.  Unemployed and economically inactive residents aged 50+ are also a shared priority with DWP.

In Barnet higher levels of unemployment and economic inactivity are concentrated in areas of highest deprivation, including West Hendon, Burnt Oak and Colindale.  We are working towards providing targeted and locally available support in those areas where more residents need it.

Unemployed residents face a broad range of barriers to work. Access to childcare continues to be a major barrier to employment in Barnet (and elsewhere), and it remains to be seen how recent government pledges will enable more parents to return to work.   There continues to be a shortage of childminders and we will work with DWP to promote this sector to local jobseekers with supported pathways into jobs.  Parents of children aged nine months to three years old are now entitled to 30 hours a week of free childcare, and this increased demand for is expected to result in approximately 40,000 extra vacancies in the sector by September 2025.

A high demand for English as a Second or Other Language (ESOL) continues to grow, in part due to a growing number of refugees living in the borough.  We are working with Barnet and Southgate College and other partners to provide a flexible and accessible ESOL offer for all those who need it.

Digital inclusion (and exclusion) remains a key component of effective employment support with many residents still lacking basic digital skills and/or access to devices and connectivity.  BOOST and our libraries service host training and access to free devices and affordable connectivity.

We continue to focus our attention on high growth sectors of employment. This includes construction, creative industries and health and social care.  Health and social care is a significant growth sector in Barnet with an aging population and many new care homes opening in the borough.  BOOST and the council are working to support the sector to recruit, with additional resource provided by the Mayor Academy and working directly with providers to offer improved wages and terms and conditions to staff.  However, Jobcentre Plus in Barnet report that this continues to be a very challenging sector to recruit to.

Construction has and will always provide large volumes of jobs and apprenticeships across the borough, and we aim to support priority groups (including care leavers) to benefit from the opportunities that the industry provides.  Working together, large contractors, The Skills Centre and BOOST are aiming to offer a well-connected pathway from career awareness events, through skills training and into jobs and apprenticeships.

Our main regeneration project in the borough, Brent Cross Town is also close to being able to host their own local recruitment service, linking hundreds of jobs generated by the project with residents through local partnerships.

We work closely with DWP and the Jobcentres in Barnet and regularly launch joint interventions, along with Barnet and Southgate College.  DWP report that their experience in Barnet has been positive, and that they have made some strong connections with the Council, BOOST, youth hubs, leaving care services (BELS), as well as employers, charities and education partners. Our aim is the provision of targeted and specialist services through partnerships to ensure that the right support is accessible by everyone.

Ingeus (Restart) are focusing on longer term plans now that the programme has been extended for a further 2 years. They have also benefited from a close relationship with the council in Barnet, and performance remains in the top 3 in London.  To maintain effective delivery, they are consulting with DWP on pricing and referral volumes to this mandatory programme.  They are expanding into the world of Health & Employment and work towards launch of a new programme soon.

Ingeus also sight the unusual geography of Barnet and transport links as issues, especially for participants who rely on public transport.

We will continue to monitor the data and aim to develop effective programmes of support that connect residents with skills providers and employers to provide great outcomes.

Economic inactivity / unemployment 

• Between October 2022 and September 2023, 28.8% of residents aged 16 to 64 years in Barnet were economically inactive, exceeding both the London (21.5%) and England (21.1%) averages. 
• During the same period, approximately 5.5% of economically active residents aged 16 or over in Barnet were unemployed, again surpassing both the London (4.8%) and England (3.8%) averages. 
• The proportion of economically inactive residents from ethnic minority groups aged 16 to 64 years has shown a notable increase in the last two reporting periods, from October 2021 to September 2023. The latest figure stands at 34.6%, surpassing both the London (27.5%) and England (25.9%) averages. 
• Another significant demographic group experiencing economic inactivity is males aged 16 to 64 years, with a nearly 12% increase in the latest reporting period (26.9%) compared to the preceding one (14.8%). 
• Although the economic inactivity rate among females aged 16 to 64 years saw a decrease from the preceding reporting period (34.5%) to the latest one (30.8%), it has consistently remained higher than both the London and England averages over the last three periods, as well as compared to their male counterparts throughout all reporting periods. 

Industry 

• The predominant sector in Barnet is healthcare, consistently surpassing the proportion of full-time workers in the health sector in both London and England from 2015 to 2022. 
• In 2022, the latest reporting period, education, retail, and health sectors collectively accounted for nearly half of part-time employment in Barnet, each comprising 17% of the workforce. 
• The employment rate for managers, directors, and senior officials experienced the most significant decline in Barnet, dropping by 4% from the previous reporting period (October 2021 – September 2022) to the latest one (October 2022 – September 2023). Despite this decrease, Barnet’s employment rate (12.1%) in this category was higher than the England average (10.9%) but slightly lower than the London average (12.5%) during the latest period. 
• On the other hand, employment in sales and customer service occupations saw a notable increase in Barnet, rising by almost 6% from the preceding reporting period (3.3%) to the latest one (9.2%). 

Benefits 

• Residents who are aged 35 to 49 years, females and unemployed residents in Barnet were most likely to claim Universal Credit, the most comprehensive living support for low-income or jobless households, within the last 12 months spanning from February 2023 to February 2024. 
• Similarly, residents aged 35 to 49 years, predominantly females, were most likely to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), an income replacement benefit for individuals below state pension age whose health conditions or disabilities impede their capacity to work. 
• Over the same 12-month period, residents with circulatory conditions and those affected by factors influencing health status and contact with health services constituted the most prevalent conditions among ESA claimants in Barnet. Nevertheless, the proportion of ESA claimants with these conditions relative to Barnet’s total population was lower than both the London and England averages.  

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