Lord Rose, Chair of Asda, highlights the urgent need for benefits reform to combat the UK’s growing worklessness issue.
- 2.8 million working-age individuals cite long-term sickness as a reason for economic inactivity, rising from 2.2 million before the pandemic.
- Lord Rose emphasises the importance of increasing productivity and encouraging capable individuals to engage in the workforce.
- He challenges the notion of reliance on benefits, advocating for a balanced system that incentivises work.
- The worklessness crisis, according to Rose, may take decades to resolve, requiring foundational changes in skills education.
Lord Rose, Chair of Asda and former head of M&S and Ocado, has drawn attention to the pressing need for reform in the UK benefits system. With 2.8 million working-age individuals claiming long-term sickness as a barrier to employment, a significant increase from 2.2 million pre-pandemic, he stresses the urgency of the situation.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Rose states the necessity of enhancing productivity and addressing the economic inactivity of millions. He insists on striking a balance within the benefits system to ensure that those capable of contributing more are encouraged to do so. We must make sure that we’ve got the benefit system in balance, he remarked, underlining the dual responsibility of supporting the truly needy while incentivising others.
Rose critiques the idea of a society dependent on government support without consideration of ability. Using illustrative rhetoric, he questions the casual acceptance of minor ailments as excuses for economic inactivity. He defends his perspective by referencing his own humble beginnings, stating, I wasn’t born with a silver spoon. I was born and lived in a caravan.
His statements resonate with concerns previously expressed by Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds regarding the post-pandemic labour market and its impact on employment trends.
Lord Rose acknowledges that resolving the current worklessness crisis could span a decade or more, requiring a strategic overhaul of education to equip future generations with necessary skills. He envisions a transformative view of the workplace as a desirable environment for personal development, stating, The workplace is somewhere where you can earn money and earn self-esteem.
Addressing the UK’s worklessness crisis demands a comprehensive reform of the benefits system, promoting skill development and fostering an empowered workforce.
