Black holes and consolidations
This make-or-break Budget is set to include significant spending cuts and tax rises spurred by a significant deterioration in the public finances. So, in this briefing note we discuss how the outlook has changed since the Spring Statement and set out how the Chancellor should respond.
Read moreNo half measures
The Government’s long-awaited Child Poverty Strategy is due next month, close to, or contemporaneous with, the Autumn Budget. There have been some welcome announcements already: the over-indexation of the Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance for the next four years, for example, and the extension of free school meals to all children in families on UC in England. But despite these actions, child poverty rates are still forecast to soar, from 31 per cent (4.5 million children) in 2024-25, to 34 per cent (4.8 million) by the end of 2029-30.
Read moreOur mission
The Resolution Foundation is an independent think-tank dedicated to lifting living standards in the UK. We focus particularly on households with low and middle incomes; those on low pay or in precarious work; and those vulnerable to financial shocks.
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Unfair dismissal – Day One Frights
The Government should keep but reduce ‘qualifying periods’ for unfair dismissal protection
The Government’s Employment Rights Bill is important and welcome, but it should change tack on unfair dismissal. Reform here is definitely needed. Currently, protection kicks in only when someone has been in the job for two years. Our view is that the Government retain a qualifying period, but reduce it from the current two years to either three months or six months. This strikes the right balance in the protection-flexibility trade-off, conforming both with international norms and with how employers themselves operate.
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False starts
What the UK’s growing NEETs problem really looks like, and how to fix it
Nearly one million young people aged 16-24 in the UK are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET) – the highest level in over a decade. What is driving this increase and how can we support young people into work or study?
Read moreLiving wage
The Resolution Foundation calculates the real Living Wage – a voluntary hourly pay rate that is based on what families need to get by. The current national rate is:
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Data
Explore our interactive housing indicators or read about our alternative estimate of UK employment.
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Resolution Ventures
Resolution Ventures exists to back innovative start-ups seeking to change the world of work for the better, and early-stage ventures seeking to improve the prospects of low-to-middle income Britain.
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