The intermediate labour market

A tool for tackling long-term unemployment

Bob Marshall and Richard Macfarlane, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York Publishing Services, 64 Hallfield Road, Layerthorpe, York YO31 7ZQ, 55 pages, A5, £13.95 plus £2.00 p&p

Intermediate Labour Market programmes (ILMs) aim to help long-term unemployed people back to work. The longest established ILM is the Wise Group in Glasgow which has been operating since 1983. It provides waged temporary work of community benefit, acting as a bridge for the long-term unemployed to move into the mainstream labour market. The work has been mainly house insulation and landscaping.

This report is the first comprehensive survey of ILM programmes in Britain, showing that there are at least 65 operating programmes offering 5,300 employment opportunities. The ILMs rely on funding from various sources such as the New Deal, European Social Fund or local regeneration funds, and have an average cost of £14,000. The report shows what works and why, and how the ILM approach compares with other interventions.