A Polarising Crisis? The changing shape of the UK and US labour markets from 2008 to 2012

The polarisation of the UK labour market intensified during the great recession and its aftermath as low- and high-skilled jobs expanded while middle-skilled jobs fell as a share of employment. This report, produced in collaboration with the London School of Economics, lends credence to concerns that the long downturn may have pushed the UK towards a two-tier labour market.

A Polarising Crisis? examines in detail for the first time how the UK and US job markets have been changed by the 2008 financial crisis. It reveals that both countries have seen middle-skilled occupations decline while those at the top and bottom have grown since 2008. The findings also highlight how different industries have fared in the UK since the crisis struck.