Barriers to work report
The UK’s changing economic landscape is creating significant challenges for people seeking employment, particularly those facing complex personal and systemic barriers.
This report highlights how factors such as mental health issues, a lack of accessible training, and the rising cost of living are making it increasingly difficult for vulnerable individuals to secure and maintain stable work. It argues that current support systems are often insufficient to address the root causes of worklessness.
To bridge this gap, the report suggests that policy reform should focus on more inclusive workplace practices and targeted interventions that address the specific needs of those furthest from the labor market.
Read the full report
See the report overview
You try and try and then no answer. You’re back to square one. It feels like a circle that never ends..
Job club delegate
Key findings:
- Work remains central to dignity and wellbeing, but many people face complex, overlapping barriers that make getting and staying in work increasingly difficult.
- Skills gaps, outdated experience and non-recognised overseas qualifications are locking capable people out of employment, while employers increasingly expect candidates to be “job-ready”.
- Mental and physical ill health are now major drivers of economic inactivity, with job searching itself often worsening anxiety, stress and confidence.
- The labour market is tightening, with fewer vacancies, more competition per role, and rising costs discouraging employers from training new or inexperienced workers.
- Inflexible, insecure and low-paid work means employment does not always lift people out of poverty, leaving many trapped in unstable cycles of work and financial hardship.
- Practical barriers like transport costs, caring responsibilities and upfront expenses prevent people from accessing jobs, training and support schemes.
- Personal and psychological pressures – including low confidence, mental load and fear of risk – significantly affect people’s ability to apply for and progress in work.
- Inclusive, person-centred support and flexible workplaces make a measurable difference, helping people not only enter work, but sustain and thrive in it.
