This is the thirty-first of a series of bulletins produced by ISE to update members on key data and policy on Covid-19. This covers the period 22/10/2020-28/10/2020.

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 Covid-19 dashboard.

The UK has now had a total of 942,275 identified Covid-19 cases and 58,925 deaths (with Covid on the death certificate). The data shows that the UK’s second wave is continuing and possibly accelerating. The number of cases has continued to increase and the pattern of the number of deaths doubling every two weeks has been maintained.

Lockdown policy

• A growing number of areas are being placed in tier 3 lockdown.
• Government advice continues to be to work from home where you can, but there is concern that home working is damaging productivity and is particularly challenging for young workers.

Education

• There is still uncertainty about what is going to happen with next years GCSEs and A levels. The pandemic risks creating an educational underclass.
• The universities union (the UCU) has announced that it will take legal action in response to the government’s decision to encourage face-to-face teaching.
• Campaigning is continuing to ensure that all adults who need it can access the National Careers Service.

The economy

• Where is the economy now? (Analysis from Vicky Pryce on ISE: Insights)
• The Chancellor has announced that he will be conducting a one year spending review in late November. Various groups have started to campaign on what they would like to see in this reivew e.g. The Edge Foundation.

The labour market

• The government has released new analysis of furlough statistics suggesting that 90% of those furloughed between April and July were still on the payroll in August although young people and ethnic minorities were worst hit. However, as the original furlough scheme comes to an end the Chancellor has announced a new package of business support for businesses forced to shut due to lockdown restrictions. Employment specialists share their opinions on the new policy in Personnel Today with some criticising the lack of support for the self-employed.

The student labour market

• Covid job losses are hitting young people hardest. 
• What does the future hold for graduate recruitment?
• Graduate labour market update (Charlie Ball on Luminate)

Student recruitment and development

• How students want employers to talk to them (Tristram Hooley on Luminate)
• How we can help new hires to thrive in lockdown (Mike Thompson on ISE: Insights) 
• Empowering the class of 2020-2021 (MyKindaFuture on ISE: Insights)

Employer insights

Insights gathered from ISE employer ‘town halls’ and other interactions over the last week.

• There have been concerns as to whether enough students are engaging in virtual recruitment events. The quality of interactions are often high, but getting enough people can be difficult.