Geordie Shore generation are out-earning Byker Grovers – but Midlands millennials are falling behind 29 August 2019 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 READ MORE
Apprenticeship reforms have improved quality but must deliver routes into careers for new starters 24 August 2019 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 READ MORE
Borrowing ahead of Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts 21 August 2019 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 READ MORE
Pay growing at fastest rate since June 2008 but Zero-Hours Contracts rise a concern 13 August 2019 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 READ MORE
Today’s GDP figures reflect Brexit uncertainty and global slowdown 9 August 2019 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 READ MORE
Low- and middle-income households are now more vulnerable to a recession than before the financial crisis 5 August 2019 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 READ MORE
Scottish property wealth soars, but housing wealth inequality also on the rise 30 July 2019 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 READ MORE
Instead of driving up self-employment, the minimum wage has driven up pay for the self-employed 29 July 2019 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 READ MORE
OBR report shows that incoming PM’s Brexit strategy will shape their domestic strategy too 18 July 2019 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 READ MORE
Households have experienced a tighter income squeeze in recent years than during the 1990s recession 17 July 2019 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 READ MORE
Real pay growing at its fastest rate in over three years, as jobs market holds steady 16 July 2019 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 READ MORE
Britain is facing the highest recession risk since 2007 14 July 2019 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 READ MORE
New Office for Tackling Injustices is welcome – but it will judged on prompting action, not monitoring data 12 July 2019 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 READ MORE
Geographic income inequality has halved since 1990 but productivity divides still near record highs 11 July 2019 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 READ MORE
Black and ethnic minority workers continue to face significant pay penalties 9 July 2019 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 READ MORE
UK productivity is now 28 per cent below its pre-crisis trend, following latest setback 5 July 2019 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 READ MORE
Scottish Child Payment is a significant step in the right direction towards tackling child poverty 26 June 2019 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 READ MORE
Consumption crunch – young people today are spending less than they did at turn of the century 20 June 2019 Young people today are spending 7 per cent less on non-housing items than they were back in 2001, according to the Resolution Foundation’s inaugural Intergenerational audit, published today (Thursday). The audit, supported by the Nuffield Foundation, is a major examination of the big generational living standards issues facing Britain. From the labour market to the … Continued READ MORE
Additional property wealth across Britain is up more than 50 per cent this century to almost £1 trillion 15 June 2019 Over one in ten people across Britain own second homes, buy-to-let and overseas properties worth £941bn, according to new research published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. Game of Homes – a report funded by the Nuffield Foundation – looks at the growth of additional property wealth over the last two decades, who owns it, and … Continued READ MORE
Real wage growth solid as record employment is maintained 11 June 2019 Britain’s labour market has settled down – with employment remaining at a record high and real wages growing at a solid but unspectacular rate, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the labour market statistics. The Foundation notes that pay growth, employment and unemployment have all remained stable in recent months, with unemployment … Continued READ MORE
High rents and fewer employment black spots are making millennials less job mobile 6 June 2019 Higher rents are reducing the financial gains from moving to better paying parts of the country, and mean that young people are less mobile than they were 20 years ago, according to new research published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. Moving Matters – a report funded by the Nuffield Foundation – shows that the common … Continued READ MORE
Number of low-paid workers fell by 200,000 last year 30 May 2019 The proportion of low-paid workers across Britain has fallen to its lowest level since 1980, and low pay could be eliminated altogether by the middle of the 2020s, according to the Resolution Foundation’s latest annual Low Pay Britain report. Low Bay Britain 2019 examines the extent of low pay across the economy (defined as two-thirds … Continued READ MORE
Pensioner poverty rates have fallen by two-thirds since 1980s peak 22 May 2019 Pensioner poverty rates for those entering retirement today are down by two-thirds compared to previous generations in the 1980s peak, though children born today are facing record poverty rates, according to a new report published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Generation of Poverty – a report funded by the Nuffield Foundation – examines … Continued READ MORE
Unemployment falls to 44-year low as the working week gets longer 14 May 2019 The UK’s jobs market continued to defy economic uncertainty, with unemployment falling to a 44-year low and the number of hours worked increasing. However falling productivity suggests that the outlook for pay will remain subdued, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest labour market figures. The UK’s jobs market remained strong … Continued READ MORE
The crisis cohort’s pay and career prospects have been scarred for up to a decade 13 May 2019 The ‘crisis cohort’ who entered the world of work in the midst of the financial crisis continued to face higher unemployment, lower pay and worse job prospects up to a decade later, compared to other young people entering work before or after the downturn. This is according to a new report published today (Monday) by … Continued READ MORE