Single parents ‘could help fill labour shortage if barriers were removed’

Single parents could help fill labour shortages if barriers to work were removed by employers and the government, a report has said.

The report, published on Monday by the Gingerbread charity, showed single parents want to work but faced “significant barriers”.

According to the report, single parents are almost twice as likely as parents in a couple to want to increase their hours, at 14 per cent versus 8 per cent, but single parent unemployment rates are double those of couple parents.