Ventures Technology and low pay How Workertech can help build a better post-Covid future for workers Tuesday 8 June 2021 Discussions of the Future of Work frequently tend to focus on the role of technology in facilitating remote working for knowledge workers, the rise of the robots and the implications of AI. They seldom discuss how technology could be deployed to improve the prospects of low paid and insecure workers. The Resolution Foundation, in partnership … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Low pay· Pay· Living Wage Earning back better The future of low pay in Britain Monday 7 June 2021 Britain’s low-paid workers have been at the epicentre of the Covid-19 crisis – as key workers unable to work from home during lockdown, or as those most likely to have lost their jobs as our low-paying social sectors – from hospitality to retail – have closed. As the economy reopens, low-paid workers should be at … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Fiscal policy· Macroeconomic policy Returning to centre stage Fiscal policy in the recovery Tuesday 1 June 2021 Fiscal policy has returned centre stage during the Covid-19 pandemic. But as countries begin to recovery from the crisis, they are taking different approaches to the scale of fiscal expansion and the timing of fiscal retrenchment. What is the right approach to fiscal policy in the recovery, and what are the challenges in terms of … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Economic growth Building back better Structural change in post-pandemic economies Thursday 27 May 2021 From the emptying of city centres and closure of entire industries, to the rapid growth in remote offices and new methods of work, the Covid-19 pandemic has fast-forwarded change in our economies. How much of this change is permanent, and what does it mean for how and where we live and work? How can policy … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Productivity & industrial strategy· Economic growth Powering ahead Raising our productivity game post-pandemic Wednesday 26 May 2021 The period between the Global Financial Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic has been marked by chronically weak productivity across many advanced economies. In the UK that has seen weak pay growth and stagnant living standards. The Covid recovery offers an opportunity to reset this dismal productivity record, but how should policy makers do this? In … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19 The Covid Recovery Overcoming the Economic Challenges Monday 24 May 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic is far from over. But the roll-out of vaccines across the world holds out the promise that the Covid recovery, while not assured, is in sight. Due to the nature and scale of the crisis – which has upended everything from household working trends to government deficits – this means the Covid … Continued READ MORE
Social care Time to care? Prospects for social care reform post-pandemic Thursday 20 May 2021 For decades now, successive Governments have promised to reform the UK’s fraying social care system. But reform has not come. Delay and inaction has instead left the system closer to breaking point, and its failures have been devastatingly exposed during a crisis in which tens of thousands of care home residents have lost their lives. … Continued READ MORE
Living standards· Labour market· Brexit & trade· Economic growth The UK’s decisive decade Launch of The Economy 2030 Inquiry Tuesday 18 May 2021 The UK is on the brink of a decade of change. In the 2020s, the country will need to not just recover from Covid-19, but also emerge from the EU, urgently transition towards a Net Zero future, and adapt to transformative technology. Instead of simply being the post-pandemic period, this is the decisive decade in … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Labour market· Wellbeing and mental health A hidden Covid crisis? Assessing the pandemic’s impact on young workers and their mental health Thursday 13 May 2021 Many young people have had to put their lives and livelihoods on hold over the past year. They have experienced the biggest employment hit, and a big deterioration in their mental health. But the link between these two issues of job insecurity and poor mental health is rarely discussed. As the country reopens, understanding the … Continued READ MORE
Tax Taxing times The good, bad and ugly of tax through the ages Monday 10 May 2021 Book launch for ‘Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue’ by Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod. Pre-order here. Live interactive webinar. Register for event access link. Taxation is famously the only certainty in life, beyond death. But the story of its evolution across the world over the centuries is far livelier and more unpredictable than this implies. … Continued READ MORE
Social care· Living standards· Welfare Post-pandemic, post-Beveridge? Assessing the case for redesigning the welfare state Thursday 29 April 2021 Millions of us have been supported by social security during the pandemic, which has provided a living standards lifeline amid a deep economic shutdown. But the inadequacy of the UK’s benefit system has also been exposed. The Chancellor had to invent whole new kinds of income protection overnight and boost the basic level of benefits, … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Intergenerational Centre Covid secure? Older workers during the pandemic Monday 26 April 2021 The age spread of labour market damage from the Covid-induced economic crisis is distinctly U shaped. The youngest workers have been worst affected, accounting for two-thirds of the fall in payrolled employment. But older workers have also been hard hit and the challenges they face from job losses are significant – from longer periods of … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Incomes· Living standards Covid Comparisons How household finances have been hit across the UK, France and Germany Wednesday 21 April 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has been a truly global crisis but, while every country has been affected, not all have been affected equally. Individual countries have taken different approaches to tackling the virus, and protecting workers and families from its economic impacts. Crucially households entered this crisis with very different levels of financial resilience in different … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19 The 12-month stretch How has Britain coped with a year of Covid-19? Thursday 18 March 2021 On 23rd March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered the country to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives’ to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. Twelve months on and several lockdowns later, the crisis has triggered the biggest economic slump in three centuries, an unprecedented £340 billion of emergency support and, tragically, the loss … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Monetary policy· Economy and public finances· Macroeconomic policy The economic outlook Speech by the Governor of the Bank of England Andrew Bailey Monday 8 March 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a truly global economic crisis, affecting families, firms and institutions throughout the world. The UK has been hard hit – experiencing the biggest economic contraction in over three centuries – but the fast pace of its vaccine roll-out means that the economy is expected to recover rapidly this year. The … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Budgets & fiscal events· Economy and public finances On the recovery road Assessing the Budget and economic outlook Thursday 4 March 2021 Chancellor Sunak’s first year in office has been marked by a huge economic crisis, and unprecedented policy interventions to support workers and firms through the pandemic. With vaccines being swiftly rolled out, the year ahead should see the economy return to growth. But with rising unemployment and firms reluctant to invest, the road to recovery … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Covid-19· Budgets & fiscal events· Economy and public finances Budgeting for Britain’s economic recovery Thursday 25 February 2021 The economic outlook for 2021 is highly uncertain. Having started with a renewed lockdown and likely shrinking economy, a stronger than expected vaccine roll-out offers hope for a recovery in the months ahead. The upcoming Budget on 3 March will be critical in terms of shaping the strength and nature of that recovery from this … Continued READ MORE
Working in the Think Tank Sector A joint event in partnership with other think tanks and organisations Wednesday 24 February 2021 Think tanks are research organisations that develop ideas on a whole range of subjects affecting society. They make suggestions for action, using research, analysis and commentary to inform and influence politicians, policy makers and the public. Given the recent economic, social and political issues facing the UK, encouraging more diversity in the world of research … Continued READ MORE
Monetary policy· Covid-19· Labour market Recovering from long Covid Understanding the pandemic’s labour market legacy Thursday 18 February 2021 The Job Retention Scheme has provided vital support for millions of workers, and kept a lid on job losses. But with the country in a renewed lockdown, the combination of rising unemployment and long lasting furlough means an unprecedented number of people who have done little to no work in nearly a year. Previous recessions … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Housing Resolving rents Tackling Britain’s rent arrears crisis Tuesday 16 February 2021 Britain’s private renters have been one of the groups hit hardest by job losses and furloughing during the coronavirus crisis. A temporary eviction ban has prevented that feeding through into people losing their homes mid-pandemic, but has seen rent arrears mount. This spells trouble for both tenants and landlords in the months ahead. As the … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Firms Building back business With revenues down and debt up are firms ready to power the recovery? Wednesday 10 February 2021 The Covid-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on Britain, but the roll-out of vaccines offers hope. The economy is expected to recover this year – but the strength of that recovery will depend on how our firms, and jobs and housing markets, respond in the months ahead. Decisions made at the upcoming Budget will … Continued READ MORE
Pensions & savings A Living Pension What would it take to secure a better retirement income for workers? Monday 25 January 2021 UK pensions have seen radical reforms in recent years to boost pension saving and tackle poverty in retirement. Government has introduced a flat-rate state pension and got more millions more workers saving through auto enrolment. But these policies alone can’t guarantee an adequate income for many pensioners. Could the creation of a ‘Living Pension’ – … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Living standards· Inequality & poverty A standard recovery? The outlook for living standards, poverty and inequality Monday 18 January 2021 2020 was tough for household living standards, even with unprecedented support to increase benefits and pay wages through the Job Retention Scheme. While the start of 2021 looks grim, a swift vaccine roll-out holds out the promise of an economic recovery to come. But this unprecedented crisis may be followed by an abnormal recovery for … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Brexit & trade· Migration A new era What do Brexit and Covid mean for migration and the UK labour market? Thursday 17 December 2020 On 1 January 2021, freedom of movement between the EU and the UK will end, and the UK’s new points-based immigration system will begin. This will mean major change for sectors of the economy – from fruit-picking to social care – heavily reliant on lower-paid migrant labour. And even before Britain ‘takes back control’ of … Continued READ MORE
Covid-19· Incomes· Macroeconomic policy Coronanomics: Challenges from the distributional impact of the crisis Friday 11 December 2020 While the health implications of the COVID-19 crisis have fallen overwhelmingly on older generations, the economic fallout has fallen heavily on the young and those on lower incomes. Given the highly uneven impact of the crisis, policymakers face huge challenges in preventing the crisis from creating new inequalities and exacerbating existing ones. In this webinar, … Continued READ MORE
