The 2020s: a horror film in four charts Rising costs and a twist in the final act – Ruth Curtice on why the worst decade on record is even scarier for typical families 5 November 2026 by Ruth Curtice Last week’s Budget contained one truly terrifying statistic – the 2020s are set to be the worst decade for living standards on record, enjoying a tenth of the growth of the disappointing 2010s. Some things are important enough to dig deep. This blog is for those who don’t just want to watch the horror movie … Continued READ MORE
Ventures Your October Round-up Resolution Ventures newsletter 31 October 2026 by Aish Moothan Welcome to October’s round-up! This month, we’re putting the spotlight on workplace mental health tools, a significant topic that we’re seeing a lot of in our pipeline, and asking what it takes for workers to actually use them. With the Budget landing earlier this week, we’ve also pulled out the highlights for founders and investors, … Continued READ MORE
Prices & consumption· Net zero What does the abolition of the gas standing charge mean for households? Digging into the distributional impact of an overlooked bill change from the October 2026 Budget 30 October 2026 by Jonathan Marshall This blog was originally published on the Resolution Foundation’s Substack. While the £100 Household Energy Payment grabbed most of the headlines, another energy bill change announced on Wednesday has got less attention. But John Healey’s request for Ofgem to abolish the standing charge on household gas bills by the end of 2027 will also affect … Continued READ MORE
It’s good to be flexible Nye Cominetti welcomes a more flexible approach to minimum wage setting. 29 October 2026 by Nye Cominetti This blog was originally published on the Resolution Foundation’s Substack. Yesterday the Chancellor told us what the minimum wage rates will be from April 2027 (well, strictly speaking he told the Times on Tuesday…). All rates – both adult and youth – will go up by 3.9 per cent. The adult rate goes to £13.21, … Continued READ MORE
Net zero· Cities and regions Jackdaw is a distraction from Aberdeen’s much bigger problem The Government needs a more place-centric approach to shore up Aberdeen’s labour market 22 October 2026 by Jonathan Marshall and Zachary Leather This article was originally published on our Substack. After years of back and forth and months of mounting speculation, this week the Government gave the green light to the Jackdaw gas field. But one small hydrocarbon project dominating headlines risks missing the much bigger – and more important – question over where tomorrow’s good jobs … Continued READ MORE
Is the minimum wage to blame for falling youth employment? Nye Cominetti digs into the youth employment stats, and gives his recommendation for minimum wage uprating 20 October 2026 by Nye Cominetti This blog was originaly published on the Resolution Foundation’s Substack. Once a year the Low Pay Commission (LPC) assemble in their Canary Wharf office to decide the following year’s minimum wage rates. I went along to share my thoughts on falling youth employment. I said that we can’t confidently blame the minimum wage. But the … Continued READ MORE
Why nobody knows how much we’ll save from the triple lock announcement Ruth Curtice and Parth Pandya consider the uncountable savings from the PM’s new policy 2 October 2026 by Ruth Curtice and Parth Pandya I never imagined two years ago that I would enjoy being sat in a Radio Four studio trying to explain how much the Government would save from adjusting the triple lock. Mostly because at that point I had never been on the radio. But also because I didn’t expect UK politics to deliver such courage, … Continued READ MORE
Ventures September Round-up Resolution Ventures newsletter 30 September 2026 by Aish Moothan Welcome to this month’s round-up – it’s a special one! This month we published First Jobs, New Barriers, our deep dive into how technology can support young people without degrees as they move from education into work. It asks how technology can help young people – especially those without university degrees – get into work. … Continued READ MORE
Crowd-pleasing cost of living measures risk being self-defeating Borrowing, inflation, and the case for targeted help 16 September 2026 by Ruth Curtice and James Smith Ruth Curtice and James Smith outline the potential pitfalls of blanket cost of living support at a time of high borrowing costs and pacey price rises. Andy Burnham came into office promising to find “breathing space” for families struggling with the cost of living, and backed it with a (temporary?) VAT cut to energy bills. … Continued READ MORE
Pensions· Generations The triple lock is a symbol of a society that has stolen the young’s future The baby boom should not be a bust for future generations 15 September 2026 by David Willetts We used to think that old people were poor and poor people were old. That belief still lingers and is why there is such support for the triple lock, which puts up pensions by inflation, earnings or 2.5% whichever is higher. But pensioners are better off than ever. Indeed, our research at Resolution Foundation shows … Continued READ MORE
What are the big policy challenges facing Andy Burnham? Looking ahead to the Budget, ten year plan, and the big trade-offs 8 September 2026 by Ruth Curtice and Anand Menon To mark the publication of the latest edition of the Policy Landscape 2026, Anand Menon and Ruth Curtice reflect on the key policy challenges confronting the UK. Andy Burnham has got off to a decent start as Prime Minister. Yet this early success has been largely ‘vibes based’. To be credible, the Budget and the ten year … Continued READ MORE
Growth· Net zero Is net zero reindustrialising the North? Green jobs, clean industries, and the future of Grimsby and Aberdeen 8 September 2026 by Zachary Leather This was originally published on our Substack. In 2024 then Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham argued that net zero was “the best chance we will ever have to reindustrialise the North of England, reduce inequality and close the North-South divide”. The Mayor has had a promotion since then but what of his prediction? Sadly, our new research has … Continued READ MORE
Ventures August Bank Holiday Round-up Resolution Ventures newsletter 31 August 2026 by Aish Moothan Happy bank holiday Monday; alas, we have arrived at the last long weekend of summer! This month, we’re looking at fresh data on NEETs in the UK, and hearing directly from some of the young people who find themselves under this umbrella. And in the workertech world, we have an autumn packed full of events coming … Continued READ MORE
Work Zero to hero? Three decisions, millions of workers, one chance to get it right 24 August 2026 by Charlie McCurdy Charlie McCurdy looks at the Government’s plan to end exploitative zero-hours contracts Right now, workers on variable-hours contracts shoulder the risks of unpredictable hours (and income), even as their employers benefit. But, as the Government consults on ending exploitative zero-hours contracts (ZHCs), a predictable row has broken out. While unions urge the PM to “keep going” on guaranteed hours rights, businesses press … Continued READ MORE
Ventures July WorkerTech Round-Up 31 July 2026 by Aish Moothan This month not only brought a new Prime Minister to Downing Street, but also a string of announcements that are highly relevant to the world of WorkerTech. We cover two of the biggest below: the DWP’s new Pathways to Work Innovation Fund, and a shake-up of vocational education aimed at tackling youth unemployment. We also … Continued READ MORE
Prices & consumption· Inequality & poverty Trimming the VAT Breathing space, off-target support and unfunded policies 21 July 2026 by Jonathan Marshall Jonny Marshall breaks down the upsides and limitations of the Burnham Government’s first new policy. Andy Burnham has promised to lead a ‘cost-of-living Government’, and the millions of households struggling to balance the books each month will be hoping he means it. His first big policy move at least points the right way: it accepts … Continued READ MORE
The three steps needed to climb out of the UK’s fiscal hole 16 July 2026 by Ruth Curtice Dear Chancellor (whoever you are), I advised a few (nine!) Chancellors in my time in the Treasury but never before did I get to write what I think, uninhibited. Even so, Jeremy Hunt said he appreciated me “speaking truth to power with a smile”. So, as you read this unsolicited advice, I promise I’m smiling… … Continued READ MORE
Health and disability· Social security PIP isn’t working. So what would? What does the interim report of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment show and what can we expect from the final report this autumn? 9 July 2026 by Louise Murphy This was first published on our Substack. It’s not often that a Government review of a benefit received by 4 million people delivers its verdict in four words. But the interim report of the Timms Review, published this morning, said simply: “PIP is not working.” As someone who spends a lot of time immersed in disability benefits data … Continued READ MORE
Housing· Generations Whether or not football ‘comes home’, the Zoomers never left What is happening to the living standards of Gen Z? 3 July 2026 by Parth Pandya and Lalitha Try This was first published on our Substack. Football isn’t really our thing, but recently, people have been telling us it’s coming home. However, being in our mid-to-late 20s, we do know that young people like us are coming home – or never left. Nearly two-thirds of people in their early 20s are now living with … Continued READ MORE
Ventures June WorkerTech Round-Up 30 June 2026 by Aish Moothan We write to you amidst yet another heatwave, a World Cup and a flurry of activity around Westminster. It’s safe to say a lot is going on at the minute. Over the past month, the Milburn Review released its first findings. We do a whistlestop tour below of Alan Milburn’s diagnosis of what is driving … Continued READ MORE
Trade Britain is doubling down, as other economies rebalance their trade. Why the UK’s trade profile has lurched in the opposite direction to almost everyone else. 23 June 2026 by Stephen Hunsaker This was first published on our Substack. Every country has a handful of things it is unusually good at selling to the rest of the world. Germany sells cars and machinery; France sells wine, aircraft and luxury goods; the UK sells financial, legal and consulting services. In other words, the sectors where they punch above … Continued READ MORE
Work The labour market is changing – and not obviously for the better June's labour market release tells a story of a weak labour market and show the nature of work is quietly shifting 18 June 2026 by Julia Diniz This was first published on our Substack. The latest labour market release by the ONS (18 June 2026) was a mixed bag. The headline numbers tell a story of a weak labour market, and where the nature of work is quietly shifting. For those thinking the glass might be half full, there were tantalising signs … Continued READ MORE
Public finances Defence versus welfare – the trade-off is being misrepresented Why it's important we have a clear picture of how we spent the peace dividend while it was around. 12 June 2026 by Ruth Curtice This was first published on our Substack. Defence versus welfare – the trade-off is being misrepresented The debate around where to get the money for higher defence spending from has been raging in government for some time. Ministerial resignations this week over the funding of the defence investment plan forced the issue to the top … Continued READ MORE
Technology· Ventures We Are Not Machines Sarah O'Connor's new book on the impact of automation and AI on work speaks to the workplace challenges that the WorkerTech Fund is trying to address 10 June 2026 by Louise Marston This article was first published on our Substack Last week, Sarah O’Connor came to the Resolution Foundation to launch her new book ‘We Are Not Machines‘. Fans of her FT column, and her AI newsletter, The AI Shift, co-written with John Burn-Murdoch, will not be surprised that the book is both insightful and deeply human. Through the … Continued READ MORE
Work· Social security We can’t overlook education and benefits if we want to reduce the NEET rate Focusing too much on work to reduce the rising NEET rate risks overlooking two key areas 9 June 2026 by Alex Clegg This article was initially published on our Substack. The Interim Report of the Milburn Review made a stark warning about a ‘lost generation’ of young people. It was backed by two sets of data the same day revealing grim milestones – ONS figures revealed that the number of 16–24-year-old NEETs (young people not in education, employment or training) has surpassed … Continued READ MORE
