UpcomingTuesday 8 April 2025

A league of their own

What can the UK learn from the US’ post-pandemic productivity acceleration?

Transatlantic hybrid event featuring Clare Lombardelli and Jason Furman

Productivity growth is the main driver of raising living standards over time. Britain’s poor record in the 2010s – the lowest productivity growth of any G7 economy bar Italy – explains a large part of the long-term living standards slump we’re all living through. Things have got even worse in the 2020s, with official data suggesting growth of just 0.3 per cent per year between 2019 and 2024 – half the already weak growth rate of the 2010s. But the US has bucked this trend, growing by 9.1 per cent between 2019 and 2024. It’s the only G7 economy where productivity growth has accelerated in recent years.

What is driving the US’ impressive productivity outperformance? How does it differ from the UK, and what lessons can be drawn? And what can firms and policy makers do to reverse the UK’s productivity woes, and prevent another decade of economic stagnation in Britain?

To debate and answer these questions, the Resolution is hosting a double-headline transatlantic hybrid event with Clare Lombardelli, Deputy Governor for Monetary Policy at the Bank of England, in-person and Jason Furman, former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers for Barack Obama, joining us remotely.

The event will be open for people to physically attend, alongside being broadcast via YouTube and the Resolution Foundation website. Viewers will be able to submit questions to the panel before and during the event via Slido.