§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their definition of "full employment". [HL1362]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)The Government's Green Paper,Towards full employment in a modern society, sets out the modern definition of full employment as employment opportunity for all, all over the UK. The Government have set ambitious targets for the end of the decade: a higher percentage of people in employment than ever before; an increase in the lone parent employment rate to 70 per cent; and a narrower gap in the employment rates for minority ethnic groups, disabled people and other disadvantaged groups and areas.
However, this is only a start. Full employment is not a fixed number. Higher, sustainable, levels of employment can be achieved by continuing to run a strong, stable economy; reforming tax and benefits to make work pay; improving education and skills; and opening up jobs to all sections of society by offering more help and more choices to those facing the greatest disadvantage—especially young people, the long-term unemployed, people with disabilities, lone parents and people from minority ethnic groups.