Press release from the Resolution Foundation Embargo – 00:01hrs Tuesday 21st 2020   The ‘Universal Credit parliament’ has finally arrived, but UC’s very different impact across the country is being ignored   The impact of Universal Credit (UC) will be felt very differently in different places: something currently being ignored amid growing debates about how … Continued

Britain’s centuries-long fall in the length of the working week has stalled in the wake of the financial crisis, and has actually increased by an hour for women and young people over the past decade, according to new research published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Times They Aren’t A Changin’ – supported by Trust … Continued

Low-income households have seen the fastest rise in the use of consumer debt since the financial crisis, and are too exposed to financial shocks, according to new research published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation. An outstanding balance? explores changes in the use of consumer debt – including credit cards, store cards, mail order and … Continued

Stronger enforcement of the minimum wage is needed as underpayment is rising, and fines for those underpaying are too low, according to new research published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation. Under the wage floor says that the huge success of the UK’s legal minimum wage over the last 20 years has combined higher wages … Continued

The UK labour market is at a turning point, with next year set to see real pay finally surpass its 2008 peak but employment at risk of falling from the record level it enjoyed throughout 2019, according to the Resolution Foundation’s Earnings Outlook published today (Friday). The Outlook notes that 2019 was a good year … Continued

The UK ends the decade with employment at a new record high of 76.2 per cent, but a slowing economy has hit pay growth and means that the UK enters a new decade with pay still below its pre-crisis peak, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. … Continued

The UK’s total wealth grew by 13 per cent to reach record £14.6 trillion in the two years to 2016-18, with wealth among the richest ten per cent households increasing almost four times faster than those of the poorest households (11 per cent vs 3 per cent), the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response … Continued

Labour and the Conservatives are already likely to be on course to break their new fiscal rules announced less than a month ago, as a result of pledges made in and around their Manifestos, according to new research published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Foundation says that fiscal rules are important for the … Continued

Child poverty is set to continue rising under the Conservative Party’s social security plans, while Labour’s £9 billion of extra spending would mean 550,000 fewer children in poverty but not see current poverty rates fall, according to new research published today (Tuesday) by the Resolution Foundation. The shifting shape of social security shows how the … Continued

Commenting on the 2019 Conservative Manifesto published today (Sunday), Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “Brexit is happening, but big tax cuts aren’t. That is the short version of an already very short Conservative manifesto. “Boris Johnson has chosen to break unwise leadership election promises of tax cuts totalling over £20 billion. Instead … Continued

Commenting on the 2019 Labour Manifesto published today (Thursday), Torsten Bell, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: “Labour’s 2019 Manifesto has doubled down on their plans to increase the size of the state. The £70bn of spending increases they proposed two years ago has now risen to £135 billion. “This would take the size of … Continued

Minimum wage increases since 2015 delivered a £3bn pay boost to low-paid workers last year, showing that while they should proceed carefully, both main parties are right to propose plans for an even higher wage floor, according to new Resolution Foundation analysis published today (Monday). Ain’t no minimum high enough examines the impact of the … Continued

The tax battleground for the upcoming election is on course to be fought over a ‘tax pledge gap’ of almost £60bn, the biggest difference between the main parties’ plans in a generation, according to a major new report published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation. The shifting shape of UK tax examines how the shape … Continued

Underneath stable headlines of near record employment, several worrying indicators show that our slowing economy may now be affecting our labour market, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. Overall the UK’s labour market remains strong with employment, unemployment and inactivity rates stable over the course of … Continued

Commenting on the latest ONS GDP figures published today (Monday), which showed that the economy grew by 0.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2019 and saw the slowest annual growth rate since 2010, James Smith, Research Director at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Today’s figures show that the economy has avoided recession, but slowed … Continued

Higher housing costs have reduced incomes and increased inequality as the poorest families have borne the brunt of Britain’s 40-year housing crisis, the Resolution Foundation warns in new analysis published today (Saturday). The research – Inequality Street – notes that public concern about housing has grown in recent years, with approaching one-in-five adults now believing … Continued

Speeches from the two leading candidates to become Chancellor in the next parliament both set out new fiscal rules today (Thursday) that allow major spending increases over the next parliament, the Resolution Foundation said. Sajid Javid formally ditched the Conservative Party’s commitment to eliminate the deficit and instead set out rules to ensure that day-to-day … Continued

Average weekly earnings could finally surpass their August 2007 peak later this month, according to new analysis published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. However the UK’s 12-year pay downturn still leaves average pay £138 a week off its pre-crisis trajectory. The Resolution Foundation’s pay projection in its latest Earnings Outlook shows that, with real … Continued

Young millennials are on course to pay more and receive less from the UK’s education, health and benefit systems than any other post-war cohort, while baby boomers born in the 1950s are set to gain the most, according to analysis published in a new, updated edition of The Pinch by David Willetts. The Pinch – first published ahead … Continued

The government must set a new fiscal framework that goes beyond the traditional focuses on debt and the deficit and targets the state’s net worth, in order to meet the country’s big economic challenges over the next decade, according to a new report published today (Tuesday) by the Resolution Foundation. Totally (net) worth it – notes … Continued

Real hourly and weekly typical earnings across Britain are still lower than their 2008 level, but in April this year pay rose four times as fast for Britain’s lowest earners compared to its high earners, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) published today (Tuesday) by … Continued

Maldon, Copeland and Richmondshire are ageing twice as fast as the rest of the UK, while areas such as Nottingham and Oxford are growing younger, showing that the country is growing apart as it grows old, according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Monday). The report, Ageing, fast and slow, finds that while the UK … Continued

A ‘young parents’ penalty in Universal Credit means that young single parents are over twice as likely to lose out than to gain when moving over from the old benefit system, according to new a report published today (Tuesday) by the Resolution Foundation. The report, A fraying net, supported by the Health Foundation, explores how … Continued

Working-age benefits – including Child Benefit, Universal Credit, non-disability Tax Credits and Jobseeker’s Allowance – are set to rise by 1.7 per cent next April, their first cash increase in five years as the four-year benefit freeze comes to an end, according to new Resolution Foundation analysis published today (Wednesday). The analysis – drawing on … Continued