This is the twenty-fifth of a series of bulletins produced by ISE to update members on key data and policy on Covid-19. This covers the period 10/09/2020-16/09/2020.

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 Number of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases and risk in the UK webpage.

The spike in cases gathered pace in the last week, although the number of deaths remains low. There are concerns that the R rate has now exceeded 1. The UK has now had a total of 378,219 identified Covid-19 cases and 41,684 deaths.

Surveys of doctors suggest that a second wave is expected.

Ending lockdown

• Following problems with the availability of testing, the government vows to massively expand testing capacity.
• Experts advise firms to slow down the return to offices.
• The growing number of cases has seen an increase in local lockdowns.

Education

• One in nine pupils is absent as schools reopen.
• The government has published guidance on the reopening of higher education campuses. WONKE offers some commentary on the guidance. While UCU, the higher education trade union, argues that all teaching in higher education should be online until after Christmas.
• The number of domestic students about to enter UK higher education institutions has held up well, although there are concerns about international student numbers.

The labour market

• As the furlough scheme comes to an end, the Treasury Committee argue that the Chancellor should extend it.
• There are a range of negative signals from the labour market with poorer areas seemingly hit hardest. The volume of online job adverts fell to only 50% of last year’s number while the number of redundancies is expected to rise at a faster rate than in the last recession. The Institute for Employment Studies provides commentary on the redundancies.
• Dominos pizza creates 5000 new delivery jobs.
• The Think Tank Learning & Work ask where will the new jobs come from that will help the UK to climb out of recession.

The student labour market

• ISE’s survey of student employers is currently open. We would be grateful if all employers who recruit entry-level staff could complete this. Tristram Hooley explains how this year’s survey has changed.
• The government’s Kickstart scheme is now open.
• There are concerns about the impact that remote working could have on new entrants to the labour market.
• Graduate labour market news from Charlie Ball.
• Does accountancy still offer a safe career after Covid?

Student recruitment

• Guide to onboarding graduates in a pandemic.
• Ten top tips for nailing virtual student engagement (ISE blog).