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Reform UK would introduce an ‘employers’ migrant labour levy’, making it more expensive to hire workers from overseas.

Robert Jenrick, the party’s economic spokesman, said it would also cut employers’ national insurance for British workers back to 13.8%, but charge the current 15% rate for foreign workers, essentially creating a two-tier employment tax.

At a press conference on Monday, Jenrick promised to put “British workers first, migrants second”.

“For more than 20 years now, we’ve had British workers coming second – undercut by cheap migrant labour, which drives down wages and our people’s quality of life,” he said.

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“According to the government’s own figures, the millions of low-skilled migrants that have been brought into our country and they have cost us hundreds of billions of pounds.

“Not to mention the pressure they place on GP surgeries, on our schools, housing, on the roads. Well, under a Reform government, those days are going to come to an end.”

The employers’ migrant labour levy would affect businesses taking on lower-skilled and low-earning migrants worse than those recruiting their more highly skilled foreign nationals.

This could, Jenrick said, be set at £3,750 per year for a full-time foreign worker on the national living wage – an annual salary of nearly £25,000.

Higher earners from abroad would cost less, with those earning £50,000 attracting an annual levy of £1,500, and just £500 for those earning £100,000 or more.

However, he said specifying the exact rates would be “irresponsible” so far from a general election, adding that a reform government would consult with businesses on the measures.

The levy would raise over £11 billion, according to Reform, funding the cut in employers’ NICs for British workers. Jenrick said the levy would include migrant workers with EU settled status.

He said: “Under Reform, because of this levy, businesses will have to take responsibility for the costs and benefits their hiring decisions have on everyone else.”

He added: “The experiment of letting in millions of low-wage migrants, as millions of Brits languish on benefits, has failed catastrophically. Reform will end it.”

Labour described the policy as Reform’s “latest half-baked plan” that would leave British businesses and British people worse off. A spokesperson said: “Their proposals threaten to hike bills and leave working families paying the price.”

Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride said Reform was “throwing out a litany of policies in the hope something sticks”.

He said: “Announcing tens of billions in entirely uncosted promises is not serious. It’s a symptom of a party that deals only in gimmicks and headlines, with no real plan for government.”

In 2024, Reform UK proposed a 20% employers’ NIC on foreign workers, to cure the UK’s “deadly addiction” to cheap overseas labour.

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The number of job postings for specialist AI roles has increased significantly in the past year according to new analysis by PwC.

The firm’s AI Jobs Barometer found 180,000 such UK job postings in 2025, up 61% on the previous year, returning to levels last seen in 2022.

The analysis, based on more than one billion job adverts globally, shows that UK-based AI hiring has recovered following declines in 2023 and 2024, signalling renewed momentum in demand for AI capabilities across the economy.

Specialist AI jobs now account for 2.2% of the overall job market, up from 1.3% last year. Overall vacancies across the economy were found to have fallen by 6.6%.

PwC said the rebound in AI hiring is being driven by so-called AI user roles – specialists who apply AI effectively within a field of expertise – rather than AI developer roles. AI user roles increased by 65.8 % and now account for the majority of AI-related job demand. In contrast, developer roles grew by 21.6 %.

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Claire Reid, chief technology and innovation officer at PwC, said: “After a period of slower growth, this increased demand for AI skills is encouraging and, whilst still a relatively low proportion of the job market, it signals a step change in how organisations are adopting AI.

“The experimentation phase is over and businesses want to scale and embed the technology properly. This requires specialists who understand the art of the possible, where AI can create value in different situations, and help others do the same. There’s a difference between building an AI-literate workforce and expecting everyone to become an AI specialist overnight.”

PwC’s analysis also points to a “two-track” labour market – depending on whether AI is automating more or less expert tasks – as AI adoption accelerates. Roles where AI removes routine tasks and enables workers to focus on higher-value activities, such as judgment and decision-making, are seeing stronger growth and higher value creation.

This dynamic is reflected in growth rates: roles most enhanced by AI have grown by 39% since 2018, compared with 17% growth in roles where AI is primarily simplifying tasks, making them more accessible.

As AI reshapes jobs and workflows, demand is rising for more advanced, human skills – such as judgment, creativity and leadership – across the workforce. In the UK, the analysis shows jobs in more AI-exposed occupations are seeing faster rates of skills transformation, adapting more rapidly and reshaping capabilities required.

Analysis of 2.4 million US entry-level roles suggests this shift is particularly pronounced in early careers, where roles most exposed to AI are now seven times more likely to require traditionally senior-level skills, such as leadership, creativity and face-to-face interactions. These roles have grown by 35% since 2019, while other entry-level roles have declined by 10%.

Reid added: “The direction of travel is clear – the balance of skills is shifting towards qualities that are harder to automate, such as judgment, creativity and adaptability. For early careers, expectations are rising, but so is the need to help young people bridge the skills gap through other routes like work experience.”

PwC found that AI hiring is increasing across all sectors. Technology, media and telecoms leads on AI intensity, followed by financial services and the public sector.

It also found that wages for workers with AI skills continue to rise, with the average premium reaching 34.2%, up from 11%. This premium varies significantly by sector – peaking at 64% in consumer markets and standing at 12% in government and public sector.

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The King’s Birthday Honours List has rewarded the achievements of a number of people who support HR, employment and career development.

Announced this weekend, the birthday honours are awarded to people who have made significant achievements in public life, following recommendations by the prime minister, senior government ministers and members of the public.

Receiving a Damehood, Citigroup’s chief executive officer Jane Fraser was recognised for her efforts to modernise the bank but also her oversight of the Citi Foundation, which has recently committed $25 million to tackle youth unemployment.

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Andrew Mitchell, who led the Tideway project to create a Thames sewage tunnel, was awarded a CBE for his focus on workforce wellbeing and fully employing 25,000 workers on the London Living Wage.

Sumeshni (Sue) Tranka, chief nursing officer for Wales, was given a Damehood for her role in digital innovation and workforce strategy in the NHS. She led a number of workforce policy changes including restorative clinical supervision to support the wellbeing of nurses.

Dr Crystal Oldman, who is on the board of trustees of the RCN Foundation, which supports nursing and midwifery staff in the UK, also received a damehood. She celebrates a nursing career spanning more than 45 years.

Also in healthcare, Professor Glen Burley, deputy chief executive of NHS England, was awarded the Knights Bachelor (KCB) for his advocacy for staff groups and being a strong advocate of the NHS’ Freedom to Speak Up initiative.

Recognising the achievements of the nursing community, RCN president Bejoy Sebastian said: “Your achievement demonstrates how highly valued nursing is. All of those being honoured should be enormously proud.

“Nursing is an incredible and rewarding profession and you are an inspiration to the nursing staff of today and tomorrow. Your shining example shows the difference we can make and represents the very best of the profession.”

Gordon Cresswell, one of the founding members of the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals, was awarded an MBE for his services to the profession, having played a role in securing chartered status for the CIPP in 2011.

Reflecting on his MBE, Cresswell said he was “deeply honoured and humbled”.

“While the award bears my name, it truly reflects the collective efforts of thousands of payroll professionals who have worked tirelessly to build and strengthen our sector over many years,” he said.

“When we began in 1980, we started with little more than determination and a belief that payroll deserved more recognition.

“To see how far the profession and the CIPP have progressed since then is immensely rewarding. This honour belongs as much to the sector as it does to me.”

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Thursday 2 July 2026, 2:00pm BST

EU member states have until 7 June 2026 to enact legislation in line with the EU Pay Transparency Directive. But what will the new laws mean for employers in the UK, with operations in Europe?

Measures include pay range information in job advertisements, a worker’s right to request information regarding their pay compared to colleagues doing the same work, together with gender pay gap reporting and joint pay assessments.

Register now

While the new rules do not directly impact UK organisations, many with offices across the EU have decided they are not going to treat British staff any differently to employees in Europe.

This Personnel Today webinar, in association with Remote, the intelligent infrastructure for employing and paying people everywhere, examines the EU Pay Transparency Directive in detail, how member states are implementing or adapting their laws, and the implications for HR and employers.

Personnel Today editor Rob Moss is joined by Shay Ogunsanya, managing counsel at Remote, and his colleague Vic Thatcher, director of global payroll strategy and compliance.

Register now to find out:

This free 60-minute webinar includes a panel discussion and Q&A.

Reserve your place on the webinar now

Vic Thatcher is senior manager for global payroll strategy and compliance at Remote. A chartered member of the CIPP and a seasoned payroll strategist with more than 20 years of international experience, Vic leads initiatives that integrate compliance directly into product development – bridging the gap between regulatory requirements and scalable, automated payroll solutions.

Shay Ogunsanya is managing counsel, commercial and product for Remote. Shay is a qualified commercial lawyer with extensive experience at organisations such as Wolters Kluwer and the Cypriot-Dutch Chamber of Commerce. Passionate about remote work, technology, diversity, and inclusion, he brings a global perspective to legal and business matters.

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Young people’s confidence in finding a job has plummeted as increasing numbers fear they face long-term unemployment.

According to analysis by think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), one in 14 young people (between the ages of 16 and 21) believe they are likely to become long-term unemployed. This figure was just one in 50 in 2015.

Similarly, one in 17 young people think there is a low chance of them becoming successful in their careers, IPPR found, compared to one in 50 in 2015.

This means the share of young people who expect to face a long period without work has roughly tripled over the last decade.

IPPR found that this low confidence was shared across all levels of society, but was felt most keenly in areas of high deprivation.

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The think-tank warned that this “financial nihilism” could have stark consequences for the economy as more young people disengage from work and lower their ambitions.

Only one in four believe that everyone has a fair chance “to go as far as their talent and hard work will take them”, it found.

In the autumn, it will publish the first in a series of reports looking at how young people are faring in today’s economy and how they can be supported, it said.

Ellie Harris, principal research fellow and head of children and young people at IPPR, said:

“Young people are telling us clearly that the deal no longer adds up. For too many, the promise that hard work will lead to security and opportunity no longer feels credible.

“This should concern all of us. Expectations shape behaviour. When young people lose faith in their futures, that doesn’t just affect their wellbeing, it risks weakening economic growth, productivity and social cohesion too.

“This is not simply a crisis affecting a small minority. Confidence is falling across England, across social groups, and across genders.

“The challenge for policymakers is not only to improve outcomes for young people, but to rebuild belief that those outcomes are still attainable.”

IPPR’s analysis follows a series of worrying reports that paint a pessimistic picture of young people’s prospects in the labour market.

Alan Milburn’s interim report, Young People and Work, commissioned by the government, found that the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) is the highest it has been in 12 years.

Recent figures from Indeed show that seasonal opportunities for young people are also in decline, down 10.6% compared to the same period in 2025.

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