Redundancy, Unemployment and Benefits

Redundancy

Redundancy can be a sudden and traumatic event but help is available. The following booklet is excellent and was produced by Invest Leicestershire. It also gives lots of general advice on job seeking, writing CVs, interviews, what to do if you cannot find a job and how to cope with the pressures, etc.

It includes information for both those being made redundant and those employers who are being forced to make redundancies.

Career Chain is a redundancy and redeployment project for engineers and construction professionals within the East Midlands. It provides specialist careers advice and guidance, CV development support, interview skills training and job search support as well as a vacancy matching service specially developed to help bring together engineers and construction professionals with employers seeking to recruit within the region.

Getting back to work for the over-50s

The DirectrGov web site gives advice on self-employment as an option for the over-50s as well as advice on looking for work. It also gives information on specialist programmes and resources available to anyone over 50 who is looking for a new job or hoping to gain new skills. There may be extra payments (tax credits) if you're over 50 and going back to work after being on benefit

Prime (The Prince’s Initiative for Mature Enterprise) is part of the Prince's Trust and is dedicated to self-employment and enterprise for the over 50s. The online Prime Business Club offers unemployed people over 50 the chance to join and to receive help and information about becoming self-employed. Prime also runs regional outreach events and workshops, details of which are also on the website.

Self-employment can provide a viable way to continue earning a living after 50 when finding a new job can become more difficult. One in five of working over-50s is self-employed and business survival rates are almost four times higher than for younger people.

  • By 2031 one in three of the working age population will be over 50
  • The number of people aged between 50 and state pension age will rise by 41% to 13 million
  • Today almost three milllion people aged 50+ are workless
  • Once unemployed, the over-50s are much less likely to get back into work
  • At the current rate there will be four million workless over-50s by 2026
  • The annual cost of this will rise from £70 billion to over £107 billion

For more information on the effects of our ageing population please see the Prime Initiative web site.

Dismissal from your Job

If you are sacked from your job, your rights will depend upon the circumstances of dismissal.

Unemployment and Benefits

Flexible New Deal aims to help you find a job, or get training or work experience to help you find a job. It is delivered for Jobcentre Plus by other organisations, called ‘providers’.

What benefits are you entitled to if you become unemployed?

Benefits Advice from CAB

Citizen’s Advice Bureau provide an online advice guide that allows you to find out what benefits you are entitled to and how much you might receive. More detailed advice is available in person at the local CAB offices

Social Security and Pension Rights