Labour market· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Taking stock of our industrial strategy 1 August 2017 by Stephen Clarke Recent electoral surprises, particularly the referendum last summer and last month’s general election, have been described as reactions against the economic status quo. The shocks have been greeted by politician promising no more business as usual. Theresa May has said that her government will create “a country in which prosperity and opportunity are shared right … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Far from full employment 21 July 2017 by Stephen Clarke The recently released Taylor review was widely covered as an attempt to get to grips with the gig economy amid the growing sense that too much work in the UK was not ‘fair and decent’. The review comes on the back of five years of robust employment growth but stagnant wages and the proliferation of … Continued READ MORE
Prices & consumption· Economy and public finances Inflation afflictions 18 July 2017 by Stephen Clarke The story of the last 12 months is that inflation has risen rapidly and eroded people’s living standards. From 0.8 per cent in June 2016 inflation is now 2.6 per cent. Despite the small welcome fall last month current projections suggest it will remain around this level for the rest of the year. The rise … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Migration Migration and the past, present and future of the British labour market 25 May 2017 by Stephen Clarke Today we got another major clue into what’s been happening to migration since the referendum and, how it might evolve as we negotiate our exit from the EU. Looking first to the migration story of the recent past, in the year to December 2016 net migration was down by 84,000 to 248,000 compared to 2015. … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Inequality & poverty· Economic growth Whose recovery is this? 11 May 2017 by Stephen Clarke Much has been written about the success of the UK economy recently. Last year the country was (almost) the fastest growing economy in the G7 and confounded expectations that the vote to leave the European Union would cause an economic slowdown if not outright recession. And yet, in many parts of the country this tale … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Labour market· Cities and regions Tees-ing out the issues 18 April 2017 by Stephen Clarke On 4 May voters in the Tees Valley will go to the polls to elect the region’s first ‘Metro Mayor’. He or she will wield new, if limited, powers affecting the whole region. But more important, in many ways, than the specific hard power of decisions the new mayor can directly control is the opportunity … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Migration First signs of falling migration after the Brexit vote 23 March 2017 by Stephen Clarke Last month, we heard that net migration had fallen below 300,000 for the first time in two years in the third quarter of 2016. In addition to this, experts are predicting further falls while businesses – particularly in sectors that employ significant numbers of migrants – are voicing concerns that they will soon face labour … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Economic growth 2016 was a quiet year for the British economy – but was it the calm before the storm? 15 February 2017 by Stephen Clarke In politics 2016 was a busy year. The vote to leave the European Union; a new Prime Minister; the unexpected election of Donald Trump and Matteo Renzi’s failed constitutional referendum in Italy. However, it was a relatively quiet year for the British economy. ONS statistics released today paint a picture of a labour market calmly … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Inequality & poverty Back to the ‘80s: Projections for living standards and inequality in the UK 1 February 2017 by Adam Corlett and Stephen Clarke The UK economy has, in many respects, performed well recently. Last week it was revealed that GDP grew by 2 per cent in 2016, above the OECD average, and higher than forecasters expected when the country voted to leave the European Union. Employment is at a record high and average wages, although still 4 per … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Skills· Inequality & poverty· Cities and regions Can a new generation of political leaders tackle Britain’s regional inequalities? 20 January 2017 by Stephen Clarke 2017 will see the UK begin its departure from the European Union. However, as the UK seeks to shed some politicians in Brussels, we will be getting some new ones at home. Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Tees, West Midlands, Bristol and Bath, and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough will all go to the polls to elect mayors and … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Inequality & poverty Rich world problems are irrelevant across most of the country, but poverty matters throughout Britain 20 December 2016 by Stephen Clarke On Friday the ONS, publisher of official statistics, released some “NOT official” statistics on people’s incomes for every local authority in England and Wales. This is pretty exciting stuff but before I outline some of the key findings from the data, the ONS require I make clear that: These Research Outputs are NOT official statistics … 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· 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
Labour market· Migration What might lower migration mean for workers, employers and government policy? 16 August 2016 by Stephen Clarke Immigration was one of the most important issues in the recent EU referendum, with some polls even putting it as people’s biggest concern. There has been much debate about whether widespread migration has squeezed the pay of British workers. This often gets pulled towards two extremes; some argue that migration has no effect on people’s … Continued READ MORE
Cities and regions· Housing Home ownership struggle reaches Coronation Street 2 August 2016 by Stephen Clarke Handwringing about the housing crisis has become a national pastime. Not surprising perhaps, with home ownership becoming an increasingly unrealistic dream for many younger families. This was once a London-centric issue, but there is growing evidence to suggest the crisis is spreading across the rest of the country – with Manchester and other big northern … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Brexit & trade Why did we vote to leave? What an analysis of place can tell us about Brexit 15 July 2016 by Stephen Clarke So much has happened since the UK voted to leave the EU that it is hard to believe that the result was announced just three weeks ago. Already the pop analysis of what influenced the referendum outcome is becoming received wisdom, with politicians and others competing to see who can best deal with the sources … Continued READ MORE
