Commenting on the Labour Party’s plans to reform the UK’s benefits system, Adam Corlett, Senior Economic Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Labour has set out some significant reforms, but they sensibly do not amount to actually scrapping Universal Credit. Now isn’t the time for another huge overhaul of our social security system. “Instead, Labour have … Continued

With existing studies of a ‘no deal’ Brexit focusing on the size of the economic shock, and many  policy makers focusing on how little can be done about the structural changes brought about by Brexit, new Resolution Foundation research, published today (Thursday) argues for a more active policy to reduce short-term damage to households and … Continued

Around one in twenty workers report not receiving any holiday entitlement, while around one in ten do not receive a payslip ­– highlighting the scale of labour market violations across the UK – according to new analysis published today (Monday) by the Resolution Foundation. The analysis, published to mark the start of the Resolution Foundation’s … Continued

Record employment is now delivering healthy pay growth and protecting it is crucial to household living standards, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest labour market figures. Regular pay growth (excluding bonuses) was 3.8 per cent in the three months to July 2019 (easing slightly while total pay including bonuses strengthened to … Continued

The Chancellor today ended austerity by announcing a £13.4bn increase in public service spending, and in practice tearing up his fiscal rules, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday) in response to the Spending Round. The Foundation notes that the Chancellor’s spending package for 2020-21 equates to a 4.1 per cent real-terms increase in day-to-day departmental … Continued

The new Chancellor’s plans to increase public spending next week look set to be inconsistent with the fiscal rules he publicly remains committed to, according to a report published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. Breaking the rules examines the Chancellor’s options for his Spending Round next Wednesday (4 September) when he will set out … Continued

Millennials in the North East have experienced the UK’s biggest pay growth compared to the generation before them, but those in the East Midlands are earning less than people born 15 years earlier, according to new research published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. Mapping millennials’ living standards examines how young adults across Britain today … Continued

Controversial reforms to the apprenticeships system have defied many of their critics and led to a welcome drop in the number of lower-quality apprenticeships in low-paying sectors, according to a new report published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. Trading up or trading off? Understanding recent changes in England’s apprenticeships system finds that claims that the … Continued

Richard Hughes, Macroeconomic Policy Unit Research Associate at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Borrowing was £6 billion higher in the first four months of this year than the same period last year. The Office for Budget Responsibility had been expecting a 29 per cent increase in borrowing for this year as a whole, but we’re seeing … Continued

Average weekly earnings are growing at their fastest rate in 11 years, but Zero-Hours Contracts (ZHCs) are back on the rise again, despite Britain’s tight labour market, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. Nominal average weekly earnings grew by 3.9 per cent in the three months … Continued

Matthew Whittaker, Deputy Chief Executive at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Today’s negative growth figures reflect a combination of Brexit uncertainty and global economic slowdown, with both challenges set to persist over the near term. That doesn’t mean we’re necessarily heading for recession, but the risk is certainly heightened right now. “Given our work has shown … Continued

The income squeeze that followed the last financial crisis has left low and middle income households more vulnerable to the next economic shock than they were in 2008, according to new analysis published today (Monday) by the Resolution Foundation. A problem shared? examines the distributional impact of recessions in the light of the financial crisis. … Continued

Property wealth held in Scotland has increased ten-fold over the last 50 years, but the last decade has been marked by rising housing wealth inequality, according to a new Resolution Foundation report published today (Tuesday). Taking Stock, funded by the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Commission, examines the scale and distribution of housing wealth over time, … Continued

The introduction and subsequent ramping up of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) has not driven the rise in self-employed workers, but it might have affected their earnings despite not being entitled to it, according to the Resolution Foundation’s Earnings Outlook, published today (Monday). The latest quarterly Earnings Outlook focuses on … Continued

The fiscal implications of the incoming Prime Minister’s Brexit strategy in the coming months will shape the government’s domestic policy strategy, rather than exist as a separate agenda, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) Fiscal Risks Report. The 293-page report highlights several risks to the … Continued

Over the past two years, UK households have experienced slower income growth than in the aftermath of the early 1990s recession, and the weakest growth outside of recessions since records began in 1961, according to new Resolution Foundation’s annual Living Standards Audit published today (Wednesday). Living Standards Audit 2019 explores the state of living standards … Continued

Real average weekly earnings grew by 1.7 per cent in the three months to May 2019 – its fastest rate in over three years – as pay packets continued their long journey back to pre-recession levels, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market data. Nominal regular pay increased … Continued

Britain is facing the highest recession risk since 2007 and, whether or not one materialises, urgently needs a plan for mitigating the effects of the next downturn, a new Resolution Foundation report warns today (Sunday).   Failing to plan = Planning to fail is the first of a series of reports looking at the impact … Continued

Commenting on the outgoing Prime Minister’s announcement today (Friday) of a new Office for Tackling Injustices, Fahmida Rahman, Policy Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “The Prime Minster was right to identify burning injustices facing Britain, even if her efforts to address them have largely been thwarted, in part by Brexit, or failed to live … Continued

Differences in typical household incomes across the UK’s regions and nations have halved since their 1990 peak, but differences in productivity remain close to record highs, according to new research published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. Mapping gaps examines the relative economic performance of UK regions and nations since the 1960s, and the extent … Continued

Almost all black and ethnic minority (BAME) groups of workers face significant pay penalties in the workforce, despite huge labour market progress in recent decades, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS data on BAME pay gaps. The new ONS data supports recent Resolution Foundation research, which found that BAME … Continued

UK productivity has fallen 28 per cent below its pre-crisis trend, the Resolution Foundation said today (Friday) in response to the latest ONS productivity figures for the first quarter of 2019. The Foundation notes that output per hour has fallen by 0.2 per cent over the last year – the joint sharpest fall since the … Continued

The new Scottish Child Payment of £10 a week for eligible children across Scotland, announced today (Wednesday) by the Scottish government, is a welcome step forward in terms of the government’s aim of reducing child poverty, the Resolution Foundation said today. Adam Corlett, Senior Economic Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “The Scottish Child Payment … Continued