Labour market The UK’s tight labour market and zero hours contracts 21 February 2018 by Daniel Tomlinson After five years of rapid increases, the number of people working on a zero hours contract has flat-lined in the UK over the past year. A tighter labour market may not yet be delivering increases in real pay, but it is slowly reshaping the type of work that we do for the better. It’s also … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Intergenerational Centre “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone” – UK generational trends in an international context 19 February 2018 by Daniel Tomlinson and Fahmida Rahman Joni Mitchell’s lyrics may refer to her first trip to Hawaii, but they could just as easily apply to UK trends in generational living standards that the Resolution Foundation’s Intergenerational Commission has uncovered. That’s particularly so in light of new analysis comparing these trends internationally. While there are huge living standards differences between high-income countries, … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Pay When it comes to pay ratios, it’s time to choose meaningful medians not meaningless means 14 February 2018 by Conor D’Arcy and Stephen Clarke Back in the dog days of last summer, the Government announced a package of reforms to corporate governance. Among those reforms was the welcome requirement for “listed companies… to publish pay ratios between chief executives and their average UK worker”. On the back of gender pay gap reporting and the commitment to transparency expressed in … Continued READ MORE
Wealth & assets· Intergenerational Centre How to solve the UK’s growing wealth gaps 8 February 2018 by Torsten Bell This year, average wages are set to be flat. British households, meanwhile, are in the middle of a projected four-year income stagnation. And our productivity has barely risen since the 2008 financial crisis. Pay, incomes, productivity – that all are flatlining is the defining feature of our economics and our politics today. There’s a reason … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Deeds not words – what we needed from the government’s response to the Taylor Review today 7 February 2018 by Torsten Bell Yesterday, Britain celebrated the success of the ‘deeds not words’ campaign that won women the vote. Today, we have something of the opposite in the government’s response to last summer’s Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices. It’s not nothing, but those hoping for a bold new dawn in the rules that govern Britain’s labour market … Continued READ MORE
Tax· Welfare· Intergenerational Centre To maintain our welfare state we need to rethink how we pay for it 5 February 2018 by Torsten Bell Social democracy gave 20th Century Britain the welfare state. But in the 21st Century it’s wandered off for a long post-crisis snooze, just at the time when big challenges to that welfare state are looming into view. It’s time it woke up because, for a new generation of social democrats, there is work to do. … Continued READ MORE
Wealth & assets Seven key takeaways on the level, profile and distribution of Britain’s £12.8 trillion of wealth 1 February 2018 by Conor D’Arcy We get monthly updates on pay and authoritative data on household incomes every year. But we have to wait two years for a detailed breakdown of what’s happening to wealth across Britain. Here are seven key takeaways from the latest data published today and what it tells us about changes in the level, profile and … Continued READ MORE
