Combining expert voices and research from across the education, business and employment sectors, The Edge Foundation's report tracks ongoing and emerging trends in the UK labour market. This edition includes a focus on green jobs and the digital sector, both of which have been at the centre of much of the discussion about future economic recovery. 

The Learning and Work Institute found that those facing the greatest levels of unemployment are so-called ‘low-skilled’ workers and others in sectors that were struggling pre-pandemic. Of particular concern are younger workers, who are entering a deeply depressed labour market; unemployed older people, who face greater obstacles to re-entering the workplace after prolonged unemployment; and non-white workers, for whom the pandemic has compounded existing institutional inequalities. 

Meanwhile, evidence from Youth Employment UK’s Youth Voice Census showed a positive growth of work experience before the pandemic, with two third of respondents getting this opportunity during secondary school, but also a worrying trend of increasing division with confidence in employability impacted by gender, ethnicity and additional needs. 

Despite the stark short-term outlook, the Edge Foundation highlights how institutions like Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, provide hope for the future: a blueprint for how the education sector might adapt following this crisis and beyond.

To read the full report, click here.