The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are working together in partnership to assess the impact of recession on different groups of people. The study being undertaken by the two organisations will be aimed at understanding whether the severity of impact is more in case of certain groups.

A spokesperson of the commission speaking about the objectives of the study said that thousands across sectors have already lost their jobs and those who retain their jobs are under constant threat. However, it is important to identify which groups are the worst affected. It is quite probable that women, ethnic minorities, old people, disabled and students will be facing much worse conditions than others are. Unless the difference in impact is properly understood, it is difficult to target relief at these groups.

The research aims at getting a clearer picture of the present state of affairs and developing a future course of action. For example if the analysis reveals that the employees of a particular sector or of a particular group are at a disadvantage compared to others, the government along with the employers could develop initiatives to assist those affected through a variety of means.

The DWP and the EHRC will also look at the existing government policies and will propose any changes if the analysis shows disproportionate effects of recession, which can be controlled through government intervention. This will also help the government target the correct group of people in the post-recession recovery program such as imparting training so that those people are able to find new jobs for themselves. Visit Workplace Law Training’s website for more about manual handling courses.