Employability and local labour market policy.

The concept of employability has provided a foundation for much current labour market policy. It has also provided a useful framework for analyzing national and urban labour markets and related policies in a variety of different circumstances both for those in and out of work.The papers in this book help progress the concept of employability, demonstrating the importance of the geographic and spatial context, and showing its flexibility and usefulness as a basis for theory, analysis and policy. The papers are divided into two main sections:understanding the concept of employability lessons for labour market policy in changing labour markets.The chapters also provide general insights into many current labour market policy debates. As employability continues to be the foundation of many labour market policies, this volume considers the economic and geographical dimensions of employability in local labour market analysis and policy.This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal Urban Studie

Employability and local labour market policy.

The concept of employability has provided a foundation for much current labour market policy. It has also provided a useful framework for analyzing national and urban labour markets and related policies in a variety of different circumstances both for those in and out of work.The papers in this book help progress the concept of employability, demonstrating the importance of the geographic and spatial context, and showing its flexibility and usefulness as a basis for theory, analysis and policy. The papers are divided into two main sections:understanding the concept of employability lessons for labour market policy in changing labour markets.The chapters also provide general insights into many current labour market policy debates. As employability continues to be the foundation of many labour market policies, this volume considers the economic and geographical dimensions of employability in local labour market analysis and policy.This book was previously published as a special issue of the journal Urban Studie

Demographic and Labour Market Change: The Dynamics of Older Workers in the Scottish Labour Market

This paper presents a review of ageing in the Scottish labour market. Scotland's population structure has been ageing for some decades leading to an ageing of the working population, at a rate ahead of many countries in Europe. Low levels of fertility, increased participation in post-compulsory education and low levels of labour market participation after the age of 50 have further contributed to an anticipated marked future decline in workforce numbers. This ageing of the workforce will mean that in the future Scotland is likely to have to rely on a smaller proportion of its population to provide its services and produce its economic wealth. It also poses a number of questions around the supply of skills and labour for Scottish employers. In particular, with a declining labour force from where will employers draw labour? There are a number of important policy implications; specifically, what are the most effective ways and at what spatial level are the most effective means of addressing labour market ageing in Scotland. The paper examines the demographic context, spatial variations in ageing, the labour market participation of older workers, how current policy is addressing this issue and what should be done

Introducing employability

First paragraph: It is over 100 years since ‘employability' emerged as a concept in debates surrounding unemployment and labour markets (Gazier, 1998). However, during the past decade the concept has commanded a central place in labour market policies in the European Union, the UK's New Deal and elsewhere at national, regional and local levels (see for instance OECD, 1998; CEC, 1999, 2003; ILO, 2000). At local and regional levels, employability has been the foundation of many labour market policies and this Special Issue gives due prominence to the geographical dimensions, especially as they relate to urban areas. The papers are mostly drawn from a joint working group established by the Regional Studies Association and the Regional Science Association (British and Irish Section) and explore the conceptual and spatial elements of employability. The papers were delivered at seminars held at Napier University and the University of Warwick in 2002-03 and were informed not only by the individual researchers but also by the extensive feedback from academics, policymakers and practitioners participating from across the two Associations and elsewhere