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Joined up for jobs - Glossary of UK unemployment terms Category: General technical and industrial > Glossary of UK employment terms Date & country: 22/12/2010, UK Words: 50

Action Team
Funded by Jobcentre Plus, Scottish Enterprise and City of Edinburgh to target help in the disadvantaged wards in the east of Edinburgh. Involves Jobcentre Plus Personal Advisers conducting outreach work and targeting disadvantaged groups and using discretionary funding in order to provide a more comprehensive service.

Aftercare
The care of people after they have started employment. Usually undertaken in this context by an outside agency to assist in keeping someone in employment.

Agency Working
Workers engaged through or by an employment agency or bureau and supplied to a hiring employer usually on a temporary basis.

Asylum Seeker
An asylum seeker is someone who has applied to the Government to be recognised as a refugee.

Baseline
A statement of conditions at the start of an initiative, such as the claimant count.

Benchmark
A given standard against which others can compare.

Benefits Trap
A situation where an individual is financially better off staying on benefits than taking a paid employment opportunity, taking into account all financial implications.

Claimant Count
The number of people who are out of work and claiming Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) and National Insurance credits recorded at Jobcentre Plus local offices.

Counselling
The job or process of listening to someone and helping someone make connections in their life.

Disability
A person is generally defined as having a disability if they are physically or mentally impaired, which has a substantial, long-term (has lasted 12 months or is likely to last more than 12 months) adverse effect on day-to-day activities.

Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
Makes it illegal to discriminate against disabled employees or job applicants and that employers are expected to make reasonable adjustments to their workplace. The remit of the DDA was extended on the 1st of October 2004 and service providers have to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access. This includes small employers and ad...

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
Claimants have needed help for 3 months because of a severe physical or mental illness or disability and are likely to need it for at least another 6 months. Are allowed to work and claim DLA.

Economically Active
The number of people who are in or actively seeking paid employment.

Economically Inactive
People who are not in the labour market and not claiming JSA.

Employability
An individuals ability to gain and sustain paid employment, dependent on a variety of components, such as skills, attributes, knowledge etc as well as the labour market situation and external issues.

Employment Academies
Operate in Edinburgh and the Lothians and operate in sectors where there are employment opportunities (childcare, construction, creative industries, healthcare, hospitality and tourism, public administration, social care, West Lothian: source). They provide clients with an introduction to employers and help to develop skills which are needed for jobseekers in a particular sector.

Employment Rate
The proportion of the population of working age (16-59 female, 16-64 male) who are in employment.

EQUAL
Funded through the European Social Fund, Equal is an initiative which tests and promotes new means of combating all forms of discrimination and inequalities in the labour market, both for those in work and for those seeking work, through transnational co-operation.

ESF
The European Social Fund is one of the four structured funds. It is targeted at training, human resources and equal opportunities schemes with the aim of promoting the employability of people. Structural Funds are one of the European Union's key mechanisms for reducing disparities between regions by promoting sustainable economic development in regions which are lagging behind or in decline.

ILO
The International Labour Organisation is the UN specialised agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognised human and labour rights.

ILO Unemployment
Record individuals, who are out of work but have actively sought work within the last 4 weeks, can start within the next 2 weeks or are waiting to start a job.

Incapacity Benefit (IB)
Paid if Statutory Sick Pay has ended or if an individual is not entitled to it. Claimant is incapable of work.

Income Support (IS)
Is an income-related benefit for people aged from 16 years up to age 60 that are on a low income.

Intermediaries
Generally refers to organisations who act as a go-between, for example in assisting people from being unemployed to gaining employment.

Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
People claiming JSA must be out of work and prove that they are capable of, available for and actively seeking work in the week the claim is made for.

Labour Market
The market in which workers compete for jobs and employers compete for workers.

Learning Difficulty
Generally refers to people with learning problems, such as dyslexia.

Learning Disability
Defined by the NHS as people who have an IQ less than 70.

Long-term Unemployed
Generally referred to people who have been unemployed for at least a year.

Mental Health Problems
A variety of illnesses that affect the functioning of the mind, can refer to conditions as diverse as depression, anxiety, phobias, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

Minority Ethnic
Generally refers to people whose ethnic origin is not white.

National Lottery
Organisations can apply for funding through good causes fund.

NEET
Stands for people Not in Employment, Education or Training, generally refers to young people.

New Deal
Government initiative aimed at getting people into employment. At present, broken down into separate paths for; Young people, lone parents, people with disabilities, for over 25s, for over 50s and for partners of unemployed people.

New Futures Funding
Aims to reduce social exclusion and disadvantage amongst 16 to 34 year-olds in Scotland - funding a range of projects to help vulnerable young people who have problems getting a job.

Outsourcing
Organisation pays to have some of its work done by another organisation.

Prevocational
Generally refers to developing an individual`s confidence and motivation before further developing skills in relation to employment.

Refugee
A refugee is a person who: `owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country` (1951 Convention).

Rickter Scale
A tool to measure current levels of skills/attributes and measure progress.

Self Employment
Generally thought of people who run their own business. Though defined as; workers who are not contractually bound to an employer as an employee.

Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA)
A benefit paid if claimant has been unable to work for at least 28 weeks in a row because of illness or disability. Since April 2001 it has not been possible to make a new claim for SDA.

Skills
A combination of qualities which require training to acquire. Generally broken into basic skills (literacy, numeracy and oral communication), generic skills (interpersonal, communication, problem solving etc.) and occupational-specific skills (Bookkeeping, welding etc.)

Skills Gap
The gap between the current skills of an organisations staff and the skills required for them to perform their jobs optimally.

Skills Shortages
Occurs when the recruitment demands of employers cannot be met by the level of skills of people who are available in the labour market.

SOC Codes
Standard Occupational Classification codes classify individuals` occupations. For example, sales and retail assistant`s code is 7111.

Social Justice Milestones
Milestones set by The Scottish Executive, in relation to issues, including; jobs, learning and environment. For example; Reducing the proportion of unemployed working age people.

Sustainability
Finding a way to improve quality of life for people today and in the future by breaking the link between economic growth and environmental damage and social exclusion. For example, a new development which creates jobs being constructed beside public transport links.

Tracking
Generally refers to an organisation tracking the progress of a former client.

Workforce Development
Activities that increase the capacity of individuals to participate actively in the workforce, such as training, thereby improving their productivity and employability.

Working Capital
The Joined Up For Jobs magazine.