The Good Work Time Series 2022

"Good work" builds resilience against social, economic and health shocks. More than any other single factor, access to good jobs will determine future prospects for people and places across the country.

At a time when there is a pressing need for a strategy and clear targets to Level Up, the Good Work Time Series provides a framework to align the people and place-based elements of the Government’s ‘defining mission’[1] and maximise the opportunities afforded by the Levelling Up, Towns, Community Renewal and Skills Funds.[2]
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The Good Work Time Series tracks trends in good work across all local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. This unique view over time is designed to help policy makers identify the most effective ways to improve social, economic and health outcomes together, enabling better interventions tailored to local challenges.
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The pandemic has shone a light on traditional and emerging inequalities in work and health, including new axes of inequality such as the ability to work from home without social contact. Telepresence will persist as the pandemic subsides, but other features of the labour market are likely to revert to pre-pandemic trends. Through this transition, a sharper focus on creating pathways to future good work offers a bridge from crisis response to the long-term planning required to tackle complex and deep-seated inequalities across the country.
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Our analyses invite a new approach to funding allocation and a reset of relations between the national and subnational tiers of government. The creation of good work should be a central, policy objective cutting across the priority areas identified by the Government[3] to guide and measure the success of Levelling Up. Now is the time to act and ensure a future of good work is secured for all.