TJ Newsflash 5 February – unpaid overtime, paid bereavement leave, youth unemployment and more

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The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook

42% of workers do not receive any additional compensation for overtime worked

HiBob, the company behind Bob, the HR platform transforming how organisations operate in the modern world of work, today reveals the average British employee is working 215 hours of overtime per year.  More than two in five (42%) workers do not receive any additional compensation for overtime worked, meaning these individuals work a yearly average of £4,022 for free.  

50% expect a pay rise in their next performance review, and almost a third (31%) expect a promotion. These expectations may be misaligned as only 40​% of people ​receive​d ​a raise in their previous review​ ​and just a quarter received a promotion​ in their last review.​

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‘Time to grieve’: 60% agree employers should offer paid bereavement leave for a pre-24 week pregnancy loss

E.ON and Working Families are joining calls for improved pregnancy loss support to be offered by employers to employees experiencing pregnancy loss. For many, pregnancy loss is sadly all too common. Statutory bereavement leave currently only entitles those who experience pregnancy loss after 24 weeks to two weeks of paid leave, leaving many struggling for support and paid time off to come to terms with their loss.

E.ON’s recent research1 found 60% of people think employers should offer paid bereavement leave for a pre-24 week pregnancy loss and a similar number (57%) think employers should offer maternity, adoption or equal parent leave for pregnancy loss beyond 24 weeks.

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Inefficient career transitions and related learning gaps are costing the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion

New research from Pearson, the world’s lifelong learning company, finds that inefficient career transitions and related learning gaps are costing the U.S. economy $1.1 trillion annually – a staggering 5% of GDP.

The accompanying report, “Lost in Transition: Fixing the Skills Gap,” warns of a potential global “skills chasm” between employer needs and employee capabilities, and urgently calls for a fundamental shift in approaches to learning and skills development.

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1 in 5 individuals have lied about their university degree to secure employment

Nearly a fifth (18%) of UK people have lied on their CVs and job applications in order to land a role, or know someone who has, in the last 12 months – research from the UK’s leading fraud prevention service, Cifas, has revealed.

Its latest Fraud Behaviours Survey shows falsifying CV qualifications and supplying false information on a job application was the second ‘most common’ type of first party fraud (when an individual knowingly misrepresenting their identity or providing false information for financial or material gain). Additionally, 1 in 7 of those surveyed (14%) felt it was ‘reasonable’ to say they had achieved a 2:1 degree to secure a job, when in reality they had failed their final year of university.

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Digital skills hold the key to tackling Europe’s youth unemployment crisis

A staggering 60% of young people in the European Union who are not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) have very low digital skills necessary to secure stable, well-paying jobs. While many have prior work experience, their past roles often failed to provide them with modern, transferable skills essential for today’s job market, according to a new WeLaR study.

The report “NEETs in the digital age” reveals that unemployed young people with prior work experience were mostly engaged in roles that were repetitive and physically demanding, requiring minimal cognitive or digital skills – competencies increasingly valued in modern workplaces. This leaves them caught with little advantage in the labour market. By comparison, their employed peers were more likely to have experience in jobs requiring digital proficiency, reading, and calculation skills.

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Global Skills Taxonomy Adoption Toolkit: Defining a Common Skills Language for a Future-Ready Workforce

Skills and talent shortages are critical challenges hindering economic growth, limiting business opportunities, and curbing individual potential. As technology rapidly advances and economic landscapes continue to shift, a common skills language is urgently needed to bridge gaps and enable workforce transformation.

The Global Skills Taxonomy Adoption Toolkit equips leaders across sectors—businesses, governments, and education providers—with actionable steps, evidence-based insights, and real-world case studies to adopt a common skills language and embed skills-first approaches into talent management strategies.

Read more.

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