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Government should focus resources on supporting young people in to mainstream employment rather than encouraging self-employment, a new report recommends. Although self-employment brings advantages such as autonomy and flexibility, being your own boss can be risky and can lead to lower financial returns, with little economic benefit for disadvantaged groups.

Pedalling like Chris Froome or Alberto Contador might seem appealing, but Oxford University researchers have found that for most of us it's likely to reduce rather than improve our performance. Pedalling like Chris Froome or Alberto Contador might seem appealing, but Oxford University researchers have found that for most of us it's likely to reduce rather than improve our performance.

GPs require better training in using the 'fit note', according to new research by The University of Nottingham. Rehabilitation research experts commissioned by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) found that fit notes were not being used to their full potential by doctors, patients and employers to manage sick leave.

Entrepreneurship thrives when local wages are high, Sussex study shows Attempts by successive governments to boost entrepreneurship in areas with low rates of self-employment have largely failed, according to a new study by economists at the universities of Sussex and Sheffield. In a review of Census data in England and Wales over the past 90 years, the researchers found that low-enterprise areas such as County Durham had the lowest rates of self-employment in every decade between 1921 and 2011.

A study of 500 couples shows that only a fifth (21%) of couples born between 1956 and 1965 in 'conservative West Germany' followed the traditional model of having a stay-at-home mum and a male breadwinner as their children grew up. Oxford University researcher Laura Langner analysed decades of SOEP data gathered by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), in which households were ed on a yearly basis.

New report finds creative and digital freelancers fuel prosperity and growth The results of a research project involving the University of Sussex provide the first empirical evidence that self-employment in the creative, digital and IT sector fuels prosperity and success. Furthermore, the results of the Brighton Fuse 2 project indicate that freelancers enjoy good incomes and are satisfied with their employment status.

Researchers have found that specialist nurses play a crucial role in helping those with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) stay in work. A report by Lancaster University's Work Foundation recommends an increase in the number of specialist nurses to help people with IBD manage their condition in the workplace.

Almost 31 million days of work were lost last year due to back, neck and muscle problems The University of Liverpool and the University of Southampton have announced a major new research centre to tackle the impact of musculoskeletal disorders on people's ability to work. Researchers at the £1.4m Arthritis Research UK/MRC Centre for Musculoskeletal  Health and Work aim to find cost-effective ways of reducing the impact of conditions that affect the muscles, joints and bones on people's employment and productivity.

A study led by Oxford University shows that, contrary to what is widely supposed, there has been no decline in social mobility in Britain over recent decades but rather than going up as in the past, more of us are moving down the social ladder. The study by Oxford University, with the London School of Economics and Political Sciences, is published in the early online issue of the British Journal of Sociology .

Enhancing and Embedding Staff Engagement in the NHS: Putting Theory into Practice The NHS has published today, 3 November 2014, a series of engagement guides and a toolkit on enhancing and embedding staff engagement, which stem from a research project led by Prof Katie Bailey. The project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, undertook a rapid review of the evidence-base relating to employee engagement.

Press release issued: 22 October 2014 Those who self-harm as teenagers are more at risk of developing mental health and substance misuse problems as adults, new research from the biggest study of its kind in the UK has revealed. Researchers at the University of Bristol, working together with colleagues from the University of Oxford and University College London, collected data from 4,799 adolescents as part of Children of the 90s - one of the world's largest population studies - to examine the outcomes of self-harm for the first time.

Research by the University of Liverpool suggests that, contrary to popular opinion, it can be good to feel bad at work, whilst feeling good in the workplace can also lead to negative outcomes. In a Special Issue published in Human Relations , Dr Dirk Lindebaum from the University's Management School , together with his co-author Professor Peter Jordan, developed a new line of study, and commissioned research to further explore the role of emotions in the workplace.

Research shows that a mother's self-identity impacts on the amount of time her partner spends on childcare - with strong professional identity in women creating a more equal childcare balance in a couple. A father's self-identity, however, has no bearing on a mother's time with children.

The Beatles' song A Hard Day's Night was released 50 years ago today. Its runaway success in the charts overlapped with a major sociological study of the newly-affluent working class that features in Lennon and McCartney's lyrics. Cambridge historian Dr Jon Lawrence discusses what this study reveals about perceptions of class identity in 1960s Britain.

In what's thought to be the biggest review of academic literature into whether home care visits provide benefits for the elderly, researchers conclude there is 'no consistent evidence' to show they lead to the elderly living longer or having more independent lives than those without any visits.

In what's thought to be the biggest review of academic literature into whether home visits provide benefits for the elderly, researchers conclude there is 'no consistent evidence' to show they lead to the elderly living longer or having more independent lives than those without any visits. Researchers from University College London (UCL) and the University of Oxford analysed 64 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), mainly in the United States, Canada and the UK.

An abundance of the sex hormone testosterone is associated with being self-employed, a study from the University of Birmingham, University of Surrey and the University of Adelaide study has found. Researchers from the three universities found that in a study of Australian men, those individuals with higher testosterone levels were more likely to be self-employed than either employed or not working.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual workers are more than twice as likely to experience discrimination at work as their heterosexual colleagues, a national study has revealed. More than 1,200 employees were interviewed by academics from Plymouth University and the Manchester Business School, with the results showing one in 10 LGBs had been subjected to discrimination in the last 12 months, as opposed to one in 20 heterosexuals.

Child victims of online sexual abuse may not be getting the right protection or support because training for child workers has not kept pace with technological advances, according to new research out today. A survey of health, education and children’s services workers across England revealed a black hole in the knowledge and capabilities of professionals charged with assisting children who have been abused through the internet.

New research from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) reveals 33 per cent of all older people experience perceived age discrimination, with less wealthy older men being at highest risk. The study highlights the high levels of age discrimination faced by older people, a situation that worsens as they age.