A new study has warned that the British Government’s plan to get the long-term unemployed back working could fall victim to the lack of vacancies. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says that the number of people unemployed for over a year has doubled in the last two years to 797 000, while there are only 467 000 positions available.

The Government will pay private and voluntary sector providers to get the long term jobless into work but according to the IPPR, “there simply aren’t enough jobs out there”.

To try and remedy this situation, the organisation suggests a solution already used in Finland and Denmark whereby unemployed people are used as replacements for people on sick or maternity leave, a solution which could save employers money since “they need not be at the same level as the employee they replace”.

Source: telegraph.co.uk/05.10.2010