Labour market A big day in court for the gig economy – but just one of many until Parliament decides. We need new technologies but old certainties too. 28 October 2016 by Torsten Bell Who exactly is self-employed? When is a worker not an employee? And how can you be an employee under employment law but not for tax law? These are difficult questions, reflecting the fact that the world of work is a complicated beast even before you start to think about how employment law, tax rules and … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Pay Five things we learned from today’s earnings figures 26 October 2016 by Laura Gardiner Today’s publication of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) – our least timely but most comprehensive source on employee pay – allows us to assess what was happening to pay across the workforce shortly before the EU referendum, and provides an opportunity for speculation as to what the future holds. Here – in … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions The future of devolution is in the hands of half a dozen ‘first generation Metro Mayors’ 21 October 2016 by Stephen Clarke In less than 200 days some of Britain’s largest city regions will go to the polls to elect ‘Metro Mayors’. Unlike many other mayors across England, they will wield new powers that affect large areas and populations. Whether or not Metro Mayors are a success will depend on whether this first generation of new civic … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Cities and regions· Economic growth First impressions matter for England’s first generation of Metro Mayors 20 October 2016 by Torsten Bell First impressions matter – not just in job interviews or blind dates, but for England’s first generation of Metro Mayors too. Resting on the shoulders of the half dozen elected mayors next May in the likes of Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Sheffield city region is not only their own careers, but the … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Britain’s self-employed workforce is growing – but their earnings have been heading in the other direction 18 October 2016 by Conor D’Arcy When people talk about “the self-employed”, there are a few images that spring to mind. Maybe it’s a white van man, someone running a small business or a freelance consultant. The growth of self-employment over the past decade and a half has been astounding. The 45 per cent growth since the turn of the turn … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Wellbeing and mental health How can employers support wellbeing in the gig economy? 17 October 2016 by Daniel Tomlinson Working in the gig economy can be a liberating experience. Freed from the rigidities of the 9 to 5 life, individuals find that they are able to enjoy work at a pace that suits them. For many, gig work and its associated flexibility is a wellbeing boost in and of itself. But for other gig … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Incomes· Inequality & poverty The “just managing” need deeds, not words 15 October 2016 by Laura Gardiner Theresa May has identified the fortunes of “just about managing” working families as her priority in post-Brexit Britain. A new government’s rhetoric precedes real outcomes against which it can be judged. But from one point of view, May’s talk about the low-paid looks well timed. Employment remains on an upward march, and after the longest … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Brexit & trade Brexit means… different things to different people 12 October 2016 by Stephen Clarke Shortly after the UK voted to leave the European Union the Resolution Foundation published analysis that explored the factors underpinning variation in the vote by place. Looking across 378 of Britain’s 380 local authorities we found that the share of Leave votes in an area was connected to measures of living standards (areas with lower … Continued READ MORE
Incomes· Budgets & fiscal events· Living standards· Economy and public finances Will the new Chancellor pass the first major test of support for ‘just managing families’ in his Autumn Statement? 9 October 2016 by David Finch We are approaching the time of the football season where managers start to lose their jobs. New appointees inevitably face lots of problems, but they have an opportunity to make a name for themselves by turning things around. The key is to identify where problems are and take effective and rapid action. Even with intense … Continued READ MORE
Pensions & savings· Wealth & assets· Intergenerational Centre Young and self-ish? Who’s saving for their retirement and who isn’t 7 October 2016 by Conor D’Arcy When we worry about the pay of workers today, two groups often stand out as being hard hit – the young and the precariously employed, particularly self-employed workers that often work in the so-called gig economy. Concern for these groups stretches beyond the present. After all, low pay and a lack of saving makes it … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Labour market· Tax Will the Chancellor replace employer National Insurance with a payroll levy? 5 October 2016 by Adam Corlett The Autumn Statement – the first fiscal statement not delivered by George Osborne since March 2010 – will be no small event. Given the replacement of the Prime Minister and Chancellor, the economic implications of the Brexit vote and the resetting of fiscal policy for the rest of the parliament, there will be plenty to … Continued READ MORE