Pensions & savings· Wealth & assets· Intergenerational Centre Young and self-ish? Who’s saving for their retirement and who isn’t 7 October 2016 by Conor D’Arcy When we worry about the pay of workers today, two groups often stand out as being hard hit – the young and the precariously employed, particularly self-employed workers that often work in the so-called gig economy. Concern for these groups stretches beyond the present. After all, low pay and a lack of saving makes it … Continued READ MORE
Pay· Living Wage· Economy and public finances· Political parties and elections Money can’t buy you love. But can it help you win an election? 26 September 2016 by Conor D’Arcy The centrepiece of John McDonnell’s conference speech in Liverpool today was a pledge to “write a real Living Wage into law”, creating clear (if still lyrically confusing) water between Labour and the government’s national living wage (NLW) policy. The apparent consensus around the benefits of a higher wage floor is a long way removed … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Pay Backslide or double down – how should the Prime Minister handle the National Living Wage? 7 September 2016 by Conor D’Arcy Theresa May has only been in her new job for a couple of months but she’s already put her stamp on the government. The most obvious break from the previous administration has been the change of personnel. But while the previous Chancellor and his allies are no longer around the Cabinet table, it may be … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Labour market· Pay No jobs-killer as employers take a ‘suck it and see’ approach to the National Living Wage 11 July 2016 by Conor D’Arcy With all the economic and political tumult of the past couple of weeks, the launch of the National Living Wage (NLW) already feels a long time ago. But it’s only been three months since the government’s flagship labour market policy came into force. As with Brexit, we’ll need to wait before judging the full impact … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Scotland Scotland continues to be the odd man out in Britain’s post-crisis jobs recovery 15 June 2016 by Conor D’Arcy Scotland’s been something of the odd-man-out lately. Missing out on Euro 2016 was bad enough but today’s latest labour market figures confirm that Scotland’s jobs market continues to under-perform compared to the rest of the UK. The turnaround has been rapid. As recently as October 2015, the Scottish employment rate was 74.8 per cent – … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Pay The National Living Wage will bring Britain’s need for stronger productivity growth into sharp focus 24 February 2016 by Conor D’Arcy After months of debate, analysis and more than a little terminological confusion, the introduction of the National Living Wage (NLW) is now just five weeks away. While this substantial lifting of the wage floor for the over-24s will come as a welcome boost for the 4.5 million low paid workers set to benefit initially (rising … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Scotland The living standards challenge facing the next Scottish government 20 January 2016 by Conor D’Arcy The living standards challenge facing the next Scottish government This morning’s labour market statistics marked a milestone for Scotland: its employment rate has overtaken its pre-recession level, rising to 74.9 per cent. This is a welcome landmark in the recovery. But coming as it does, 15 months after England closed its ‘jobs gap’, also highlights … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Cities and regions Five charts that London’s mayoral candidates need to see on living standards 7 January 2016 by Conor D’Arcy It’s now less than four months to go till London’s mayoral elections. Given how important living standards issues like pay, jobs and housing are to Londoners, coming up with effective policies to tackle these challenges could make the difference in what’s set to be a tight race. Here are five charts that should be front … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay· Scotland New year, new wage: implementing the National Living Wage in Scotland 4 January 2016 by Conor D’Arcy The first week back at work after the new year is no one’s favourite, with the brighter, better spring weather still a long way off. But this year, thousands of low-paid workers across Scotland have even more cause to be impatient for the end of winter. From April, thanks to the National Living Wage (NLW) … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Pay The national living wage brings public sector complications 14 October 2015 by Conor D’Arcy Since its announcement at the summer Budget, the National Living Wage (NLW) has rarely been out of the headlines. We’ve heard employer warnings on its impacts as well as some firms going one better and bumping their staff up to the ‘real’ Living Wage. But what’s received less media attention is how the public sector … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Pay Is today’s minimum wage rise the calm before the storm? 1 October 2015 by Conor D’Arcy It’s a cliché but if a week is a long time in politics, the seven months since the announcement of today’s increase in the National Minimum Wage (NMW) feels like an eternity. Back in March, the announcement that the minimum wage would rise by 20p to £6.70 an hour felt a little cautious given it … Continued READ MORE
Pay· Living Wage Lidl’s welcome announcement shows that employers can do things differently 18 September 2015 by Conor D’Arcy The past few months have seen some big wins for low-paid workers. This morning’s welcome announcement that Lidl will pay all their staff the Living Wage comes soon after IKEA pledged to do the same and the Chancellor’s major announcement in the Summer Budget of the ‘National Living Wage’. But as well as these positive … Continued READ MORE
Pay Who gains from the new National Living Wage? 3 September 2015 by Conor D’Arcy The ‘National Living Wage’ – a top-up to the minimum wage for workers aged 25 and over – was the rabbit pulled from the Chancellor’s Red Box at the Summer Budget back in July. But beyond the healine figures published alongside it, it was hard to be sure who the main beneficiaries would be. A … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Tax The Tax-Free Minimum Wage – a gimmick or a real giveaway? 3 July 2015 by Conor D’Arcy and Adam Corlett Amid the flurry of pre-election pledges made by each party, the Conservatives’ ‘Tax-Free Minimum Wage’ attracted a curious mix of attention. The policy – which will ensure that those working 30 hours a week or fewer on the minimum wage do not pay income tax – received widespread media coverage, but much of it described … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Inequality & poverty How do we tackle Britain’s huge, shifting poverty challenge? 20 May 2015 by Conor D’Arcy UK poverty rates have been falling relatively steadily since the start of the 1990s. Policy changes have led to particularly significant reductions among pensioners and children. But much less progress has been made among adults without children; and current projections suggest that many of the improvements of recent decades will go into reverse over the … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Are zero-hours contracts here to stay? 25 February 2015 by Conor D’Arcy In many ways, the growth of zero-hours contracts (ZHCs) has symbolised the UK’s labour market since the downturn began: contributing to both stronger than expected employment figures but also rising job insecurity. One of the big question marks though has been whether they are solely a symptom of the recession and would start to disappear … Continued READ MORE
Pay A £6.70 minimum wage – how ambitious a rise is it? 24 February 2015 by Conor D’Arcy The Low Pay Commission, the body tasked with advising the government on the national minimum wage’s (NMW) annual increase, has recommended it rise by just over 3 per cent, from £6.50 to £6.70, from October 2015. The second in its “new phase” of above-inflation rises after years of falling in real terms, any real increase … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay We need strategies to boost pay progression for the low paid 19 November 2014 by Conor D’Arcy “There’s only one person there who’s gone from the bottom to the top, out of hundreds. If I’m starting at the bottom, and I only know one person that’s gone all the way, I don’t think I’m going to be able to do that.” That was the view of an employee of a large supermarket. … Continued READ MORE
Labour market The UK’s surge in self-employment brings with it increased financial insecurity 8 May 2014 by Conor D’Arcy One in seven workers in the UK are now self-employed with more than 650,000 starting out on their own since the recession. While some have argued that many work for themselves more out of necessity than choice, a recent survey for the Resolution Foundation confirmed that the overwhelming majority of the UK’s 4.5 million self-employed … Continued READ MORE
Labour market More than a minimum: reforming the minimum wage 13 March 2014 by Conor D’Arcy The national minimum wage celebrates its 15th birthday next month. Given the dire effects some predicted it would have – two million job losses and spiralling inflation – even its short-term survival was far from guaranteed in 1999. George Bain, chair of the Low Pay Commission when the initial rate was set, has admitted he … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Low pay and the minimum wage at Conservative Party Conference 2013 1 October 2013 by Conor D’Arcy Low pay and the minimum wage have been one of the key themes of this year’s party conference season. Because of the running order, the Lib Dems and Labour have already had the chance to set out their stalls. Vince Cable has asked the Low Pay Commission to look at how a higher national minimum … Continued READ MORE
Living standards It’s Not Just 2015 That Will Be a Living Standards Election – The 2014 Vote Could Be One Too 18 September 2013 by Conor D’Arcy Danny Alexander opened his Lib Dem conference speech yesterday by terming Glasgow the “deep south” relative to his Highlands constituency. Naff jokes aside, and a year and a day before the Scottish independence referendum, his other main reference to regional differences was the lower interest rates, lower taxes and thousands of jobs which Scotland benefits … Continued READ MORE
