Living standards· Productivity & industrial strategy· Pay· Economic growth Decoupling wages and recoupling living standards Top of the Charts 30 November 2018 Afternoon all, This week saw several major studies on the economic impacts of Brexit end games. Obviously you shouldn’t read them all, partly because you’ve got lives to lead, but also because it’s blindingly obvious what they say. And anyway who needs to bother with the serious business of weighing up the economic cost of a … Continued READ MORE
Counting snores and learning from wars Top of the Charts 23 November 2018 Afternoon all, Had enough of the Brexit chat yet? Thought so. Luckily we’re definitely not going to spend the next 10 years having the same conversation over and over and over again… Oh yes we are. It’s going to be like Groundhog Day. Without the happy ending. To get through the week I’ve been focusing … Continued READ MORE
Sex-starved youths and savings-starved pensioners. Top of the Charts 16 November 2018 Afternoon all, So the UK’s live broadcast episode of “Deal or No Deal” is in full swing and I’m sure we all feel very proud of ourselves. The only good news is that Noel Edmonds hasn’t yet made an appearance, although we’re not exactly short of badly dressed men from a time long past wandering … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Migration Migratory patterns in Britain’s labour market 13 November 2018 by Stephen Clarke More records tumbled in the UK labour market this summer. On jobs, we had good news on quantity and quality as the people in full-time employment reached a record high of nearly 24 million. And this record high is all the more striking as it came alongside a record fall in the number of EU … Continued READ MORE
Firms· Labour market Relocation, relocation, relocation – why workers in firms are increasingly staying put 13 November 2018 by Stephen Clarke Channel 4 (or at least some of it) is off to Leeds. Some staff may be relishing the move, some may have wanted to move to Manchester or Birmingham, while others may have just wanted to stay put. Despite the mixed feelings one thing is undisputed; Channel 4 staff are now part of an increasingly … Continued READ MORE
The dangers of excess cash bags and hashtags Top of the Charts 9 November 2018 Afternoon all, I know you’re all obsessed with the US mid-term elections this week, but I’ve got some lifestyle advice for you: it’s not good for your blood pressure. Not only does reading lots about it remind you that Donald Trump exists, but you may have noticed that – unless you’re a US citizen over … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Wellbeing and mental health· Housing· Time use· Intergenerational Centre All aboard the Millennial Express – longer commutes for less pay 8 November 2018 by Nye Cominetti The ONS serve to uplift and depress analysts like me in equal measure. And today they served up the latter, with new figures showing that the number of people commuting for more than an hour to get into work has increased by almost a third (31 per cent) since 2011. Longer commutes are good news … Continued READ MORE
Shame, Zombies and Die Hard Top of the Charts 2 November 2018 Afternoon all, Good lord we’ve had (almost) an entire week without Brexit chat. Yes, it’s cost us £55bn via a giveaway Budget to make it happen – but frankly that feels like money well spent (especially the £1.7bn going back into Universal Credit). Our gratitude to the Chancellor has however been severely tested. No, not … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public spending· Economy and public finances Pessimism, Politics and Economics: the real Budget story 2 November 2018 by James Smith Debates following this week’s Budget have been dominated by political arguments about whether the Chancellor’s spending splurge means that austerity had been ended or lives on (our view: austerity was significantly eased but not ended). But another debate has been conspicuously absent this week, having dominated the UK’s political economy for the past eight years: … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Labour market· Low pay Never mind the end of austerity, what about the end of low pay? 2 November 2018 by Conor D’Arcy While post-Budget debates on austerity and tax cuts rumble on, one clear living standards win on Monday was an increase in the National Living Wage (NLW). But beyond announcing the rate for next year, the government also used the Budget to set out a bold new aspiration that could have major implications: ending low pay. … Continued READ MORE