Today, the government took another step to increase the number of children in poverty. They have done this by cutting the Benefit Cap, first introduced by the Coalition government. Outside London, the number of people in need whose benefits are cut is likely to go up by more than 700% and even in London the increase…
Yes, unemployment went up in the latest figures. Yes, I fear unemployment is going to rise significantly over the next 18 months. But today’s jobs figures don’t give us grounds for claiming it’s already started. The headline unemployment figure in June – August was 1,656,000 up from 1,646,000 in March – May, but that 10,000…
For the first time, an authoritative statutory body has recognised that the cuts to Universal Credit announced in last summer’s Budget will mean that it is much less generous than was originally planned, making it effectively a cut when compared with Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit which it replaces. Back in 2010, when…
The latest figures for life expectancy and healthy life expectancy show that where you live can be a matter of life and death: the more deprived your town or district, the lower your life expectancy. The data, from the Office for National Statistics, show life expectancy for men and women for England and then for local districts…
Today’s employment figures tell us a story we’ve grown used to – employment is still growing, unemployment is coming down at a slower rate, wage growth is still slow and there are other signs that the labour market isn’t as strong as we’d ideally like. As Damian Green was quick to point out, the 74.4…
What will leaving the European Union mean for social security policy in the UK? In this post I’m going to explain why we should prepare for social security cuts as part of any move to introduce a new austerity. In a few days I hope to return to this subject and look at some of…
This morning I was having a look at the Office for National Statistics’ new Population Estimates (as you do) when I came across a reference to a report they published at the end of last month, which I’m ashamed to say I missed at the time. UK Perspectives 2016: The UK in a European context…
The latest monthly jobs figures confirm the picture of a cyclical employment recovery that has been strong in some respects but shows worrying signs of running out of pzazz. The last thing we need right now is a vote for years of uncertainty putting a crimp on demand. Unions should certainly welcome the continuing improvements…
Today’s labour market figures from the Office for National Statistics again show encouraging employment and unemployment figures, but again there are signs that the jobs recovery is slowing down and the numbers for earnings continue to disappoint. But first the good news. The employment rate in January – March was 74.2 per cent, the highest…
Yesterday’s monthly Economic Review from the Office for National Statistics presented the latest labour market figures and provided an opportunity to look over the medium term at what is happening in the world of work and the signs that the jobs recovery is slowing down. Let’s start with the background to all this. Change in…