Low pay· Pay Analysing the National Living Wage: Impact and implications for Britain’s low pay challenge 10 July 2015 by Conor D’Arcy and Gavin Kelly The most eye-catching announcement in the Summer Budget was the National Living Wage (NLW). National Minimum Wage workers aged 25 and over will, from April 2016, receive a premium on top of the current legal wage floor, raising their hourly earnings from £6.70 to £7.20. Thereafter, the NLW is expected to rise steadily, surpassing £9 … Continued READ MORE
Pensions & savings· Labour market The self-employed and pensions 26 May 2015 by Conor D’Arcy The UK’s self-employed populace is now 4.5 million strong. Although there has been a modest fall in their numbers of late after years of rising, the self-employed look set to continue being a larger part of the workforce than in recent decades. While much has been made of their poor earnings performance relative to employees, … Continued READ MORE
Pay Securing a pay rise: The path back to shared wage growth 25 March 2015 by Conor D’Arcy and Gavin Kelly After the longest fall in modern history, real wages have moved into positive terrain and appear to be turning the corner. Yet the outlook for wages – how strong and shared pay growth might be in the years ahead – remains highly uncertain. What emerges will shape not just what happens to living standards but … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Labour market· Pay Escape Plan: Understanding who progresses from low pay and who gets stuck 11 November 2014 by Conor D’Arcy and Alex Hurrell Our findings highlight that employees can move into higher paying roles but escaping completely from low pay is more difficult. Overall, the evidence presented in the report suggests that employers and government do have scope to develop the progression prospects of low paid staff. While much is already being done, there are particular groups of people … Continued READ MORE
Labour market Just the Job or a Working Compromise? The changing nature of self-employment 6 May 2014 by Conor D’Arcy and Laura Gardiner The growth of self-employment has become one of the stories of the recovery. While the share of total UK employment accounted for by self-employment has risen for decades, bucking the trend internationally, its pace has accelerated since 2008. And while the number of employee jobs has only recently regained its pre-recession level, the number of … Continued READ MORE
Labour market enforcement· Labour market Zeroing In 25 March 2014 by Vidhya Alakeson and Conor D’Arcy The use of zero hours contracts should be reformed to ensure that flexibility can be maintained and workers’ rights strengthened to help eradicate misuse. This report makes a number of recommendations that respond to these concerns and seek to strike a better balance, providing protection and choice for workers while ensuring flexibility is maintained for … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay More than a minimum: The review of the minimum wage – Final report 12 March 2014 by James Plunkett and Alex Hurrell and Conor D’Arcy The final report of the Resolution Foundation’s review of the future of the National Minimum Wage. The review has worked for the past nine months under the chairmanship of Professor Sir George Bain, the founding chair of the Low Pay Commission, exploring whether the minimum wage and its supporting architecture could do more to tackle … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay Minimum Wage Act II 21 February 2014 by James Plunkett and Conor D’Arcy and Tony Wilson The national minimum wage is no longer strong enough to tackle the country’s low pay problem and the policy will need to be reformed if it is to repeat the successes of its first 15 years. Professor Sir George Bain, the founding chair of the Low Pay Commission which recommends the rate of the minimum … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay Minimum stay: Understanding how long people remain on the minimum wage 26 October 2013 by Conor D’Arcy and Alex Hurrell Britain’s growing minimum wage workforce includes 320,000 people who have been trapped on the lowest rung of the pay ladder for five years or more. Minimum Stay shows that 17 per cent of all those currently earning the minimum wage or up to 25p an hour above it, have only ever held jobs at this pay level … Continued READ MORE