Why the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs is essential for the knowledge-based economy
The U.K. Chancellor’s multibillion Plan for Jobs is a much-needed and welcomed announcement on all fronts. No one can disagree with that. Apart from generating general economic stimulus and job creation, one of the most critical underlying challenges this plan needs to address is the brain drain and skills digression that comes with long-term unemployment. Whether it’s right or wrong not to extend the current furlough scheme beyond October is a matter for individual opinion, but one thing is for sure: prolonging people’s opportunity to get back to work is more than a short term frustration, it’s detrimental in the long run.
Being part of a job environment — whether it’s remote or on-site — is critical for two reasons. From a personal perspective, it breeds confidence, responsibility, a sense of achievement and — of course — it generates a paycheque. On a macro-level, with more people in employment, we stand a better chance of stimulating diverse, original and innovative thinking in all of our key industries, which is vital to our success and growth. That in itself leads to the creation of new inventions, encourages democratic debate and contributes to societal progression.
And it’s these two points that are the driving forces for those who work in the communications industry. Firstly, without economic and intellectual stimulus that generates demand and competition, we fail to remain a commercially competitive country. Without innovation, new products and services stop entering the market, and our ability to promote them would quickly dry up.
Secondly, the comms industry thrives on debate and new thinking, something that is unique to each person and is borne of their experience and individual way of seeing the world. Collectively, this makes the communications industry a fascinating and exciting place to work. Being at work means we are confronted daily with opinions that are not our own, points of view we may never have considered and perceptions we cannot imagine. Working in itself is part of the social stimulus that bonds us as humans. Whether it’s about refurbishing the new office or finding the best solution for bottleneck transport, great ideas have never come from a general agreement between 5 people. The best ideas often evolve through disagreement and debate between 50 people.
The Chancellor’s new initiatives, such as paying employers £1000 to take on new trainees and the job retention bonus for re-employing those on furlough, are essential. Not only because they create job opportunities and help revive the economy. They are essential because they boost the intellectual and creative stimulus central to the services-led and knowledge-based economy in which we live and work. We have no idea what the next six months might look like, or what the ramifications of a possible no-deal Brexit might be, so it’s absolutely critical that we give everyone a fighting chance to get the country moving again.
