Employment

Employment is a principal wider determinant of health. Employment plays a pivotal role in health and wellbeing, for individuals and for families. Employment influences social mobility, economic independence, housing, and income.

Experiencing job loss, or fear of unemployment, has considerable negative impacts upon mental wellbeing and is linked to poverty. Evidence shows that unemployment can lead to loneliness and has also shown that people experiencing loneliness are more likely to encounter unemployment. ‘Given the persisting and potentially scarring effects of both loneliness and unemployment on health and the economy, prevention of both experiences is key’ (Source: BMC Public Health). 

An individual’s ability to gain and sustain employment is affected by physical, mental and life-limiting illnesses, short-term and temporary employment, and low skill levels. Skill levels are one of the most important determinants of socio-economic outcomes. Skills are an important route out of poverty, and a key driver of economic prosperity. Despite progress, a skills gap still persists in Lincolnshire. Local unemployment rates remain high, leading some to rely on benefit claims. Rurality, and lack of access are sometimes a barrier to work. Childcare, for example, can be difficult to afford or access in smaller towns and villages if individuals are not on a professional salary.

Strategic alliances and partnership working between residents, employers, training providers, education settings, and other local strategic partners, is required to address these issues.  

The Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 

• The Act was intended to help transform the skills and training landscape and level up opportunities across the country. 
• The Act underpins the government’s transformation of post-16 education and skills, as set out in the Skills for Jobs White Paper, and will help drive growth across the country. 
• Skills to support the burgeoning green economy will be prioritised to create a workforce for jobs now and in the future, and schools will be required to make sure all children get to meet people that provide technical education routes such as apprenticeships, T Levels or traineeships – opening their eyes to a wide range of careers. 
• The legislation will aid economic recovery and growth by making it easier for people to get the skills they need to secure well-paid jobs in industries with skills gaps, such as health and social care, engineering, digital, clean energy, and manufacturing. It will give more people the opportunity to get jobs in their local area, by requiring employers and colleges to work together to identify the skills needed within communities.

In 2025, the government released the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, which seeks to:

• Centre skills as a key driver of economic growth, labour market resilience and national industrial priorities, and to reduce over-reliance on international recruitment to address skills gaps. 
• Integrate skills provision with employment support, aligning skills policy more closely with employment objectives. 
• Support further development of Local Skills Improvement Plans to strengthen partnerships between employers, Further Education and strategic authorities.  
• Reforming the Growth and Skills Levy to diversify the types of learning that employers can access to include short courses as well as Apprenticeships. 
• Increasing FE capacity, reviewing qualification pathways for both technical and academic qualifications, and expanding specialist and Technical Excellences Colleges. 
• Supporting learners of all ages to retrain, change careers or return to learning through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement. 
• Introducing the Youth Guarantee to address increased levels of young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), expanding work experience and employer exposure opportunities for young people.

The Get Britain Working White Paper seeks to tackle the long-running trend of declining employment rates in the UK, and the increase in economic activity, predominantly from long-term ill health. The act aims to achieve this by:

• Creating good quality jobs through the development of an industrial strategy that outlines a 10 year plan across 8 priority sectors: Advanced Manufacturing; Clean Energy Industries; Creative Industries; Defence; Digital and Technologies; Financial Services; Life Sciences; and Professional and Business Services. 
• Developing a Plan to Make Work Pay encompassing amendments to employment rights and increasing the National Minimum Wage with a view to raising living standards and job security. 
• Expanding support for parents and carers by increasing access to free childcare to support parents wanting to return to the workforce and committing to a review of carers’ leave and allowances to support flexibility and financial security.  This also supports the aim to reduce child poverty by supporting parents to secure employment.  
• Increasing access to high-quality housing supply and job creation in the construction industry, funding Technical Excellence Colleges to support skills development in the construction workforce. 
• Investing in local transport via increased funding to Local Transport Authorities to improve bus services, with the aim to reduce the deficit experienced by using public transport when compared to travelling by car. 
• Working closely with stakeholders to develop and delivery employment support to individuals by strengthening partnerships between local services through the development of local Get Britain Working plans. 

Local Policies include the Greater Lincolnshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) FSB Local Skills Initiative, the Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority’s Innovation Strategy and Adult Skills Fund Strategic Skills Plan.

Lincolnshire is home to 27,605 businesses, supporting 339,448 jobs. The Lincolnshire economy supports over £16bn in Gross Value Added (GVA). The manufacturing, healthcare, and retail sectors are the top three sectors for jobs (ONS). Although these sectors are evolving rapidly, pressing vacancies are often frontline and do not necessarily require higher level skills to enter. Greater Lincolnshire has proportionally less jobs in knowledge intensive ‘contemporary’ sectors, such as digital and renewables – growth sectors generally requiring higher-level skills.  Locally important sectors, such as AgriFood, Care, Engineering, and Construction regularly report skills shortages in both entry-level positions and higher technical and professional roles.

The 2022 ONS Reports show the number of residents economically active in Lincolnshire is lower than in East Midlands, or in Great Britain. Of the economically inactive, the highest percentage in Lincolnshire are working aged adults on long term sick (i.e. continuous absence lasting more than four weeks).  In Lincolnshire, the rate of economic inactivity has increased from 21.1% to 25.3% since 2018/19 (Source: Adult Skills Fund: Greater Lincolnshire Evidence Refresh, 2025). 

Compared to national figures, Lincolnshire has made progress in reducing the proportion of people with no qualifications since 2011; and there are a higher proportion of residents undertaking an Apprenticeship. However, the Greater Lincolnshire Combined County Authority (GLCCA) evidence refresh shows that the following challenges persist:

• 9.9% of the 16-64 years population have no qualifications compared to 6.6% across the United Kingdom.  
• Adult skills levels are a concern. There is a persistent gap in the proportion of residents with ‘higher’ Level 4 and above qualifications, with 32.6% of Lincolnshire residents against 47.1% nationally. 
• Lincolnshire has stark geographical disparities with East Lindsey, Boston and South Holland performing worst (Source: Midlands Engine Observatory).
• Whilst employment has grown in Lincolnshire, it is below comparable areas, and job density remains largely unchanged since 2015 at 0.77 jobs per working age resident. 
• With a population density of just 132 people per sq. km compared to 440 nationally, scarcity means that reaching the critical mass required for service delivery is difficult, and some areas are poorly connected by road or other public transport. 
• Lincolnshire has an aging population, with 24% of the population aged 65 or over against 19.8% nationally.

Lincolnshire County Council’s (LCC) vision is, “Working for a better future”, for residents. The LCC Corporate Plan wishes to support high aspirations:

• LCC seeks to enhance the skills of its communities to meet the needs of businesses and the economy, and  
• Promote healthy, inclusive, accessible employment and learning opportunities.

Lincolnshire County Council will contribute to the GLCCA Employment and Skills Board and Get Lincolnshire Working Plan, leading on the delivery of relevant programmes including Adult Skills Fund, Skills Bootcamps and Connect to Work.  Together, colleagues representing Local Authorities, Further Education and Skills, Health and Business, will aim to support the development of a cohesive employment and skills landscape to support Lincolnshire residents to thrive. 

Key organisations and services include, GLCCA Employment and Skills Board, Greater Lincolnshire Universities, Colleges of FE and Training Providers, Business Lincolnshire Growth Hub, LCC Inward Investment Team, LCC Children’s Services, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Jobs22, NHS, YMCA, Shaw Trust, Prince’s Trust, EDAM Lincolnshire, and the Nomad Trust.

No public engagement has been undertaken to gather views from Lincolnshire residents. 

• Lincolnshire is England’s second largest county, has the fourth lowest population density, and is classified as one of the most rural counties by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). Many communities are geographically isolated with poor public transport. This presents considerable barriers to provision of, and cost challenges for effective skills delivery, even more so in areas of the highest disadvantage along the east coast. The County has areas of deprivation in Lincoln, Boston Borough and East Lindsey, all showing in the top 50 highest area of deprivation in the Country. The County also has pockets of deprivation in towns like Grantham, Gainsborough, Lincoln and our rural communities. (Source: Gov.UK) 
• Businesses and investors commonly juggle the attractiveness and affordability of Lincolnshire with problems of workforce accessibility because of a lack of appropriate public transport links. 
• High levels of digital exclusion. Even where broadband connectivity exists, many residents cannot afford contracts and/or devices, or do not have the skills to utilise them. 

Increasing employment and addressing skills gaps will continue to be a key priority for the Greater Lincolnshire.

The GLCCA have developed a draft Strategic Skills Plan as part of the transition to devolving control of the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) from central government.  The Skills Plan outlines its priorities for delivery of ASF to be:

• Create a programme of high-quality provision for Greater Lincolnshire adults that is accessible, aligned to local business need, well-promoted, and achieves good value for money by removing unnecessary duplication. 
• Provide adults with the confidence and support to participate in learning and progress to higher levels. 
• Fund qualifications that are business-led and contribute to the long-term prosperity of Greater Lincolnshire, creating a locally skilled workforce. 
• Increase the capacity of the local provider base, so that Greater Lincolnshire’s training infrastructure can be flexible and responsive to future local needs.

Growth scrutiny committee is exploring worklessness, the youth guarantee, and opportunities to make it easier for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to employ inexperienced staff.

The ‘Get Lincolnshire Working Plan’ will be published soon and will address priorities within employment and health.  The plan focuses on building partnerships across local authorities, health, education and the voluntary sector to work more coherently in supporting individuals who are economically inactive enter and sustain employment.  The plan’s long-term goals are to:

• Achieve 80% Employment Rate: By 2030, increase to 80% through scaled interventions, reducing inactivity to 20% via diversified economies (e.g. renewables growth per Industrial Strategy). 
• Close Productivity and Earnings Gaps: Narrow gross value added (GVA) gap to 10% below UK and earnings to 5% below via local skills improvement (LSIP)-aligned upskilling in high-productivity sectors. 
• Zero NEET for SEND Youth: Eliminate SEND NEET disparities through sustained specialist support.
• Integrated System-Wide Offer: Evolve to a single navigation platform, ensuring coherent journeys. Resilient Rural-Coastal Economies: Boost jobs density to 0.85 and addressing seasonal vulnerabilities.