Sensible solution on unfair dismissal will deliver faster improvements to conditions at work 27 November 2025 The announcement that the Government will amend the Employment Rights Bill – reducing the qualifying period for unfair dismissal protection from two years to six months, rather than scrapping altogether for a ‘day one’ right – is a sensible move that will speed up the delivery of improvements to working conditions and reduce the risk … Continued READ MORE
Chancellor races ahead with cost of living support but huge tax rises and spending cuts loom 27 November 2025 The Chancellor delivered a far more upbeat Budget than many were expecting, with significant cost of living support and sensible, progressive measures that reduce some of the distortions in the tax system. But it was far from pain-free, with major tax rises and cuts to public services coming down the line, and a look behind … Continued READ MORE
Budget will ease cost of living pressures next year – but backloads fiscal repair job to eve of next election 26 November 2025 The Chancellor has moved decisively to ease cost of living pressures with welcome support on energy bills and for larger families. She has also increased her fiscal wiggle room, funded by the expected freeze in income tax thresholds and sensible reforms that help to level the playing field on personal taxes. But this backloaded Budget … Continued READ MORE
Unexpected rise in Energy Price Cap shows why Chancellor should take action to bring these costs down 21 November 2025 The Energy Price Cap will unexpectedly rise by £3 a year in January, as a rise in the costs of government policies that are added to energy bills cancels out a small fall in the gas prices. This makes clear that more action is needed in the Budget to significantly cut bills, the Resolution Foundation … Continued READ MORE
Council Tax support mess shows perils of hiding spending cuts under cover of localisation 20 November 2025 Devolving Council Tax support in 2013-14 has massively increased the amount of social security now being administered locally in England. But this change has caused acute and often arbitrary hardship for vulnerable families – illustrating the perils of passing responsibility for deep spending cuts onto local authorities – according to new research published today (Thursday). … Continued READ MORE
Inflation begins its long march down, but the high cost of living demands action from the Chancellor at the Budget 19 November 2025 While the fall in CPI to 3.6 per cent in October, from 3.8 in September, signals the start of a long drift down in inflation, the cost of living remains high meaning the Chancellor must act at the Budget, according to the Resolution Foundation this morning (Wednesday). This fall was largely in line with expectations, … Continued READ MORE
Excessive levels of Budget kite-flying risk exacerbating market uncertainty 14 November 2025 Commenting on the latest rumours that the Chancellor is no longer planning to increase Income Tax rates in her upcoming Budget, following rumours last week that this would be the centrepiece of the Budget, Ruth Curtice, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “At the Budget the Chancellor needs to do three things: take decisive … Continued READ MORE
Unemployment hits 5 per cent for first time – outside of the pandemic – in almost a decade 11 November 2025 The labour market is weakening on multiple fronts with the number of payrolled jobs falling by 64,000 in the past two months, short-term private sector pay growth falling to 2.7 per cent, and unemployment hitting 5 per cent for the first time (outside of the pandemic) since 2016, the Resolution Foundation said today. The number … Continued READ MORE
Mayfield Review recommendations can help to put employers at the heart of tackling Britain’s inactivity challenge 5 November 2025 Sir Charlie Mayfields’s report, published today (Wednesday), rightly frames Britain’s economic challenge of rising inactivity due to ill-health as being a matter for the world of work as well as the welfare system. The Government should now fast-track the Review’s recommendations, moving quickly from the initial ‘Vanguard’ phase to full deployment, according to the Resolution Foundation. The timely report confirms that rising ill-health and disability pose a genuine challenge to our labour market, our … Continued READ MORE
Chancellor should prioritise prices, payslips and poverty reduction at the Budget 4 November 2025 The Chancellor should take decisive steps in her Budget to put the public finances in order and aim to double her level of headroom, while focusing on reducing prices, poverty and protecting payslips, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday). The Foundation’s Autumn Budget 2025 preview notes that the widely anticipated downgrade to the UK’s ‘trend’ … Continued READ MORE
Partial lifting of the two-child limit would still leave child poverty rates rising over the Parliament 31 October 2025 Fully scrapping the two-child limit on benefits is an essential step towards achieving lower child poverty rates in 2029-30 than in 2024-25. No partial repeal of the policy is sufficient to keep child poverty rates from rising, according to new analysis from the Resolution Foundation today (Thursday). No half measures uses the latest economic data … Continued READ MORE
Affordability gap between Local Housing Allowance and local rents set to reach record level next year 25 October 2025 Rapid rent increases since Local Housing Allowance has been frozen means the gap between the support low-income private tenants receive and the 30th percentile of local rents is already at 14 per cent (£104 a month for a typical two-bedroom property). This affordability gap is expected to reach a record 17 per cent next year, … Continued READ MORE
Share of low paid workers across Britain has fallen to a fresh record low 23 October 2025 Britain has continued to make progress on reducing the gender pay gap and the incidence of low pay in the past year, though overall pay growth has slowed in recent months, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE). The ASHE data, which was collected … Continued READ MORE
Welcome downside inflation surprise comes at the wrong time for millions of families in receipt of Universal Credit 22 October 2025 Headline CPI inflation held steady at 3.8 per cent in September – defying expectations of a rise to 4 per cent – but this welcome surprise comes at the wrong time for the millions of households receiving benefits. The September inflation rate is used to determine benefit uprating the following April. As a result, this … Continued READ MORE
Disability and ill-health set to push the number of young people who are NEET above one million for first time in over a decade 21 October 2025 The number of young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) has risen by 195,000 over the past two years to reach 940,000. The most common reason for being NEET is unemployment, but the largest increase in recent decades has been amongst those inactive due to disability and ill-health, according … Continued READ MORE
Teenage kicks (back) – a rising proportion of young people have never worked 19 October 2025 Delays in when people get their first job have driven a rise in the proportion of young people who have never worked, according to new Resolution Foundation research published later this week that will examine what is driving the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). The report finds … Continued READ MORE
Bringing Government energy policies in-house could save the poorest households £110 a year 16 October 2025 Moving energy and social policy costs off household electricity bills and onto general taxation would save the poorest fifth of households around £110 a year – net of tax increases to balance the books – with almost three-in-four households being better off overall, according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Thursday). Splitting the bill … Continued READ MORE
Real weekly wages have increased by a paltry £1.50 since last September 14 October 2025 The weakening jobs market is finally affecting pay packets, with wage growth in the private sector slowing sharply over the summer, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. The number of payrolled jobs was little changed in August with a small rise of 10,000 compared to July and … Continued READ MORE
Britain’s huge wealth gaps mean a typical worker would need to save more than a lifetime’s worth of their earnings to become wealthy 8 October 2025 It would now take 52 years’ worth of typical earnings – £1.3 million in total – to move from the middle to the top of the wealth distribution, as wealth gaps continue to grow across Britain, according to new research from the Resolution Foundation, published today (Wednesday). Before the fall examines the scale and distribution … Continued READ MORE
Hitting ambitious housebuilding and affordable homes targets hold key to reducing private rents 27 September 2025 The Government will need to both hit and sustain its unprecedented target of creating 1.5 million new homes at least over this Parliament and the next to reduce pressure on private rents and temporary accommodation, according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Saturday). The Housing Outlook Q3 2025 finds that that hitting the Government’s … Continued READ MORE
2p switch from National Insurance to Income Tax could raise £6 billion while protecting workers’ pay packets 23 September 2025 The Chancellor should protect workers’ pay packets and level the playing field on how different forms of income are taxed – including a 2p cut in employee National Insurance (NI) offset by a 2p rise in Income Tax (IT) – in order to raise £6 billion in a Budget that will require significant tax increases, … Continued READ MORE
Families have suffered from £20,000 of lost living standards growth over the past 20 years 18 September 2025 The scale of Britain’s living standards slowdown over the past 20 years is so large that a typical family today would be £20,000 richer had incomes continued at the rate of growth trending in 2005, when the Resolution Foundation was founded. During past 20 years, the Resolution Foundation has worked to put living standards at … Continued READ MORE
Headline inflation holds steady, with encouraging signs of pressures easing under the bonnet 17 September 2025 Headline CPI inflation held steady at 3.8 per cent in August – ending a run of disappointing increases – as a downward contribution from air fares was offset by increases in hospitality and for petrol. There were encouraging signs for policy makers under the bonnet as the closely watched core inflation fell from 3.8 per cent in July … Continued READ MORE
Labour market showing signs of calming after a bruising period for job losses 16 September 2025 The UK labour market continues to cool as the number of payrolled jobs falls and wage growth slows. But the rapid deterioration in the first half of the year, centred around the increase in National Insurance contributions, has calmed, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. The … Continued READ MORE
Resolution Ventures launches £9 million WorkerTech fund to back start-ups supporting better work in a fast-changing labour market 15 September 2025 Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high‑risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more. Resolution Ventures, the social investment firm launched by the Resolution Foundation, has today launched its new WorkerTech fund, which backs startups … Continued READ MORE