The number of furloughed employees fell below two million for the first time at the end of June, ahead of the scheme being wound down over the summer, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest HMRC Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme data. The number of furloughed employees fell by 590,000 during June … Continued

Press release from the Resolution Foundation The boom in ‘staycation’ holidays this Summer will provide some much-needed respite for the UK’s travel and hospitality sectors, with areas such as West Wales, Devon, Cornwall and the Lake District benefitting most – but cities such as London and Manchester losing out – according to new research published … Continued

The UK’s jobs recovery has continued into June, with four regions of the UK now surpassing their pre-crisis payrolled employment levels. However, some of these workers will still be on furlough – highlighting how the recovery remains far from complete – the Resolution Foundation said today in response to the latest ONS labour market data. … Continued

The Covid-19 crisis has been marked by rising levels of wealth – the first time this has happened during a recession in 70 years – and widening wealth gaps as middle- and high-wealth households have amassed savings and benefitted from rising house prices far more than those with little or no wealth to begin with, … Continued

Commenting on the latest GDP figures for May published today (Friday) by the ONS, James Smith, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation, said: “The economy continued to bounce back in May following the deep lockdown freeze at the start of the year. “But with the economy still 3.1 per cent weaker than pre-crisis – a … Continued

The Resolution Foundation response to the Government’s announcement today that they are going ahead with the £20 a week cut to Universal Credit from this October Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “The decision to cut Universal Credit by £20 a week this October will cut the incomes of the poorest families … Continued

The mental health impact of the pandemic could have lasting repercussions for young people as they take their first steps on the career ladder, with over one-in-four 18-24-year olds afraid that poor mental health will affect their ability to find a job in future, according to new research published today (Monday) by the Resolution Foundation. … Continued

The number of employees on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (JRS) fell rapidly during May as the economy reopened, but far more people remain furloughed than previous official data has suggested, while older workers are disproportionately likely to remain ‘parked’ on furlough for long periods, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the … Continued

Over one-in-four workers aged 55-64 who were fully furloughed during the recent lockdown remained so in May despite the reopening of the economy, and now face a higher risk of unemployment as the furlough scheme is phased out from today (Thursday), according to new Resolution Foundation research. The Foundation’s annual Living Standards Audit 2021 examines … Continued

Employees are coming off furlough at a rapid pace but the UK labour market is lukewarm rather than hot, as total hours worked remain well below pre-crisis levels and most vacancies are still relatively easy to fill despite the focus on shortages in some sectors, according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Monday). The … Continued

The costs of buying a typical first-time property with a mortgage have risen by two-thirds over the past half-century, with those born in the late 1980s experiencing the highest costs of all, as falling interest payments have failed to offset rapidly rising house prices, according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Saturday). The report … Continued

Inflation is on course to rise above four per cent in the coming months – reducing real average household incomes by £700. And while monetary policy makers at the Bank of England should ‘look through’ this temporary inflation spike, fiscal policy makers should act to protect family incomes and strengthen the recovery, according to new … Continued

Overall furlough rates dropped to their lowest level since the start of the pandemic in late May, but a significant proportion of employees remain out of work even as firms report staff shortages, and the Government prepares to start phasing out the Job Retention Scheme (JRS) in just two weeks’ time, the Resolution Foundation said … Continued

Commenting on the latest inflation statistics published today (Wednesday) by the ONS, which show that CPI inflation increased to 2.1 per cent in May, up from just 0.3 per cent in November – the fastest six month rise in inflation since the collapse of sterling in the aftermath of the financial crisis , Jack Leslie, … Continued

Payrolled employment increased by almost 200,000 in May as the country experienced a grand hiring surge. However, the UK still has a ‘Covid employment gap’ of 2.8 million workers to close before the recovery is complete, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics today (Tuesday). The latest data shows … Continued

Women’s average working hours have taken a far smaller hit during the pandemic than men’s, with women who do not have children now working longer hours than ever before – in marked contrast to predictions of a ‘shecession’ at the start of the pandemic, according to new research published today (Monday) by the Resolution Foundation. … Continued

Responding to the Government’s announcement of a new ‘workers’ watchdog’ today (Tuesday), Lindsay Judge, Research Director of the Resolution Foundation, said: “Labour market rules are only effective if they are enforced properly, and the current fragmented system often leaves workers most in need to support to fall through the cracks. “A new Single Enforcement Body … Continued

Low-paid workers have been worst affected by the pandemic, are now returning to work fastest in the recovery, but still face the dual risks of rising unemployment and high job insecurity later this year and beyond, according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Tuesday). The Foundation’s 11th annual Low Pay Britain report examines the … Continued

The number of furloughed workers fell by 880,000 in April – and by 1.6 million since January – as the economy began to reopen, while take-up of the Job Retention Scheme reached two billion working days, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest HMRC and ONS furlough statistics published today (Thursday). The latest … Continued

After four-decades of decline, 2020 was the fourth year in a row in which trade union membership among employees in the UK increased – with membership up 120,000 on the year before – according to Resolution Foundation analysis of new statistics published today (Thursday) by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The Foundation … Continued

The second highest monthly increase in payrolled employment on record, coupled with vacancies returning close to pre-crisis levels, show that the labour market is entering a new phase as it reopens and recovers – but a return to its pre-pandemic health is still a long way off, the Resolution Foundation said today in response to … Continued

The UK is facing a ‘decisive decade’ of change as five seismic economic shifts – the Covid aftermath, Brexit, the Net Zero transition, an older population and rapid technological change – come together. Our economic strategy must be rebuilt in light of these shifts, and the opportunities and challenges they create, or we risk leaving … Continued

Young people have been at the centre of two interlinked crises during the pandemic, experiencing the largest employment hit and sharpest increase in mental health conditions of any age group, according to a new report published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. The report Double Trouble – supported by the Health Foundation – examines the … Continued

Press release from the Resolution Foundation Pandemic leading to a ‘race for space’ – and soaring house prices in least populated areas House prices in the least-densely populated areas of the UK have risen almost twice as much as those in the most-densely populated areas over the past year, which reflects both the pandemic prompting … Continued

Radical changes to the UK’s social security safety net during the pandemic should prompt a wider public debate about its successes and failures, and how Britain’s post-pandemic welfare system can be further improved, according to a new Resolution Foundation report published today (Thursday). With the crisis prompting the Government to introduce radical new policies, such … Continued