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The Government is going to give new "job splitting" grants to employers willing to offer part-time work to people claiming unemployment benefit.
The next scheme, which took many union leaders and large employers by surprise yesterday night, will be announced in detail in the autumn. It is intended to cost the taxpayer nothing because of savings in unemployment benefit. The proposal, unveiled last night by Mr, Norman Tebbit, Secretary of State for Employment, will be in addition to the new Community Programme for the long-term unemployed.
Mr. Tebbit said that under the scheme a vacancy could be offered to two unemployed people, one existing full-time employee or two existing full-time employees if one of them would otherwise have been made redundant.
The Employment Secretary suggested yesterday that workers reaching retirement might find the idea of sharing their job attractive, if pensions could be secured. But he also said that firms might find it attractive to offer one vacancy to two school leavers.
In a sharp reaction to the Community Programme, Mr. Nicholas Hinton, director of the National Council for Voluntary Organizations, whose members will be expected to sponsor many of the new places, said: "The Government is trying to spread too little money too thinly among too many people and many voluntary organizations are suspicious of its motives. "
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Few people believe that unemployment in the United Kingdom will fall favorably below the 3.2 million mark, or 13.4 percent of the labour force, during the next few years. The remarkable rise in productivity over the past year will, if it continues, make it even more difficult to tackle unemployment. Many firms are confident that they can meet any increase in demand without hiring extra staff.
Remedies more imaginative and more permanent than those tried so far are needed. The Government's job-splitting scheme announced on Tuesday is one example that should be welcomed. Another good idea is Rank Xerox's "networking" plan, by which executives would be able to work part-time from home. The possibilities of work-sharing need to be more vigorously investigated, on the lines indicated by a recent OECD study. If the total hours of work required are not going to increase-with output rising thanks to improved productivity-then let us try to share those working hours more equitably among the labour force.
Work-sharing helps to produce new jobs by reducing the working hours of those in existing jobs. The danger with work-sharing is that employees may expect to be paid more per hour for working shorter hours, and that fixed labour costs will rise as the numbers on the payroll increase. Many employers therefore fear that the effect on costs and prices would be inflationary. The Government is therefore subsidizing employers to participate in its job-splitting scheme.
Most kinds of work-sharing involve marginal cuts of a few per cent in total working hours, and thus only modest increases in the number of jobs. The biggest difference would be made if a substantial number of full-time jobs could be turned into part-time jobs. The Government's role would be to adapt the tax and social security system to make part-time work more attractive to employers and employees, notably by ensuring that as many part-time employees as possible escape both tax and social security payment.
The social effects of work-sharing, are likely to be beneficial, since it would involve an attempt to match work opportunities to a wider variety of life styles. The combination of one fulltime and one part-time spouse might become much more universal.
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Part-timers usually earn less per hour than a full-timer, have fewer fringe benefits and less job security. They have virtually no career prospects. Employers often think that working parttime means that a person has no ambition and no chance of promotion.
But job-sharing bridges that gap and offers the chance of interesting work to people who can only work part-time and that does not mean just married women. As Adrienne Broyle of "New Ways to Work"-formally the London Job-sharing Project-points out: "There are various reasons why people want to job-share and so have more spare time. " A growing number of men want to job-share so that they can play an active role in bringing up their children. It allows people to study at home in their free time, and means that disabled people or those who otherwise stay at home to look after them, can work. Job-sharing is also an ideal way for people to ease into to retirement.
Many employers are wary of new work schemes, but an investigation carried out by the EOC shows that they can profit in various ways from sharing. If one sharer is away sick, at least half the job continues to be done. Skilled workers who cannot work full-time can bring years of experience to a job.
Half-timers have to work flat out without a tea break. Another attraction is that two people bring to one job twice as much experience, sets of ideas and discussion.
But there are financial pitfalls for the job-sharers.
If one becomes unemployed, he should be eligible for Unemployment Benefit. But he has to sign on as being available for full-time work. Otherwise, he can not claim the benefit.
Pensions are a big block. The EOC paper points out that the Local Government Superannuation Scheme excludes people who work less than 30 hours a week.
For those who are attracted to job-sharing, beware. Most occupational pension schemes are based either on the average annual earnings during membership of the scheme or on the employee's final salary.
·tells us that the government will give support to employers, who offer part-time jobs?
71. ______ .
·states that employers can benefit from having two people performing the same job?
72. ______ .
·provides means for older people to ease into retirement? 73. ______ .
·implies that work-sharing schemes have so far been unsatisfactory? 74. ______ .
·shows that the author approves the Government's plan? 75. ______ .
·indicates that a 63-year-old man might find job-sharing against his interest? 76. ______ .
·states that job-sharing can offer the chance of interesting work to people who can only work part-time?
77. ______ .
·says that many organizations are doubting the motives of the government in
advocating job-sharing? 78. ______ .
·implies that increased payment for less work would destroy the scheme? 79. ______ .
·states that a rise in output does not reduce unemployment? 80. ______ .