This is the 61st of a series of bulletins produced by ISE to update members on key data and policy related to Covid-19. This bulletin covers the period 20th August – 2nd September 2021.

You can access all of the Covid-19 bulletins on ISE insights.

Latest Covid-19 data

Data taken from Wikipedia and from the government’s Covid-19 dashboard.

The UK has now had over 6.8 million identified Covid-19 cases and 156,000 deaths (with Covid on the death certificate).

The number of new cases is rising slowly. The number of deaths has now been rising slowly for thirteen weeks.

Covid news

Data from the government’s Covid-19 dashboard.

• Covid cases are slowly rising again, with concern growing that the return of schools might result in another surge.

Education

• Girls are outperforming boys at school. What should we do about this asks Mary Curnock Cook on HEPI.
• Universities are returning to campus from the start of the academic year. Jim Dickinson (WONKHE) explores how this can be done safely, while some students oppose measures from universities to restrict the freedom of unvaccinated students. Some universities are putting in place ‘catch up’ programmes to address the lost learning that new students experienced during Covid.

The labour market

Drawn from government data on unemployment and NEET levels.

• Concerns about youth unemployment continue, despite the economic recovery.
• Chris Millward (OfS) discusses the graduate labour market and some of the inequalities that exist within it.
• The growing demand for labour could spell trouble for the gig economy argues John Colley (Warwick Business School) and for logistics notes Sarah O’ Connor in the FT.

Changing patterns of work

• Trade unions and businesses argue that there is still a need for furlough.
• Graduates would benefit from returning to the office argues Stephen Isherwood (ISE), but be careful not to rush back for the sake of it.
• How does the shift to hybrid work change the possibilities for individuals to negotiate unique deals and contracts at work? Zofia Bajorek (IES) explored the world of the i-deal.
• Should employers be ‘re-onboarding’ staff after Covid?

Student recruitment and development

• Too many organisations are requiring candidate to go through multiple recruitment rounds argues Mark Johanson (BBC Worklife).
• Be careful that you are not using the idea that diverse candidates are ‘hard to find’ to excuse poor recruitment practice argues Autumn McDonald in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. While Rolls Royce set out their new approach to diversity and inclusion.