Labour market Lost in transition An examination of why the UK NEET rate is high and rising 28 April 2026 by Lindsay Judge and Alex Clegg and Julia Diniz and Nye Cominetti and Imogen Stone This report investigates why the UK’s NEET rate has been rising since 2019, and why it has long been higher than in many other countries. READ MORE
Labour market· Inequality & poverty The long shadow How childhood disadvantage depresses the earnings of university graduates in England 24 March 2026 by Julia Diniz and Richmond Egyei and Anna Stansbury and Greg Thwaites Childhood poverty casts a long shadow over graduates’ earnings. This briefing note shows that even after achieving the same grade from the same university and working for the same employer a decade later, those who were in deep poverty still earn substantially less than those who were not. READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Economy and public finances Understatement of the year Putting the 2026 Spring Forecast in context 4 March 2026 by Hannah Aldridge and Mike Brewer and Elliott Christensen and Tom Clark and Alex Clegg and Nye Cominetti and Ruth Curtice and Julia Diniz and Sophie Hale and Lindsay Judge and Zachary Leather and Jonathan Marshall and Charlie McCurdy and Louise Murphy and Simon Pittaway and Cillian Sheehan and Hannah Slaughter and James Smith and Imogen Stone and Jamie Titus-Glover and Lalitha Try The Spring Forecast was billed as a non‑event, but the underlying story is stark: weak growth, rising risks, and only a fleeting improvement in living standards. Our analysis shows why makerspolicy makers can’t rely on good fiscal luck lasting. READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public spending· Economy and public finances Stairway to headroom Putting the Autumn Budget 2025 decisions on tax, spending and borrowing into context 27 November 2025 by Hannah Aldridge and Mike Brewer and Elliott Christensen and Tom Clark and Alex Clegg and Nye Cominetti and Adam Corlett and Ruth Curtice and Julia Diniz and Sophie Hale and Lindsay Judge and Zachary Leather and Jonathan Marshall and Charlie McCurdy and Louise Murphy and Simon Pittaway and Hannah Slaughter and James Smith and Imogen Stone and Greg Thwaites and Lalitha Try The Chancellor’s second tax-rising budget arrived under dark clouds, but forecasts came in better than feared. But even though she was saved from the worst predictions of past weeks, the Chancellor still faced a tough task to clear three big hurdles – fixing the public finances, easing the cost of living squeeze on families, and taxing smartly and fairly. This briefing note argues that she did clear these hurdles, albeit not flawlessly. She scraped over … Continued READ MORE
Health and disability False starts What the UK’s growing NEETs problem really looks like, and how to fix it 21 October 2025 by Julia Diniz and Louise Murphy Nearly one million young people are now NEET (not in education, employment or training). Tackling this crisis requires stronger enforcement of participation requirements for 16-17-year-olds and an expanded Youth Guarantee offering all 18-24-year-olds real pathways into work or study. READ MORE
