Rapid increases in people’s qualifications and skill levels have stalled since the mid-2000s, and both policy makers and employers must restart this progress, according to a new Resolution Foundation report published today (Monday). Pick up the pace – a comprehensive audit of skills and educational attainment across Britain – shows that the profile of Britain’s workforce … Continued

A £30bn borrowing boost has given the Chancellor more than enough fiscal firepower to end austerity in his upcoming Spending Review, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday) in response to the Spring Statement. The OBR delivered a slighter weaker outlook for economic growth this year – down from 1.6 to 1.2 per cent – meaning … Continued

The challenges of subdued business investment, stretched consumers and austerity – all of which are coming to the fore as Brexit uncertainty grows – pose major questions for the UK economy that are unlikely to be answered in the forthcoming Spring Statement, according to a new report published today (Monday) by the Resolution Foundation. Spring … Continued

Greater Manchester’s devolved powers mean it is uniquely placed to tackle the low pay challenges faced by Britain’s major cities, according to a new report published today (Sunday) by the Resolution Foundation. The report Low Pay in Greater Manchester, which will be published as part of the Greater Manchester Independent Prosperity Review on Tuesday, shows … Continued

Britain’s labour market is undergoing a huge shift in terms of migrant workforce, despite overall levels of net migration remaining stable since the EU referendum, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest ONS quarterly migration figures. The Foundation notes that while overall net migration remained stable at 283,000 in the year … Continued

Shop workers now face the highest risk of unemployment or redundancy Retail’s shrinking share of the UK workforce – which dates back to 2003 and is equivalent to 320,000 missing employee jobs – is starting to hurt job prospects for shop workers despite record employment, according to a new report published today (Wednesday) by the … Continued

UK households are facing the prospect of stagnating living standards, while the proportion of children living in poverty risks hitting a record high by the end of the parliament, according to a new report published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Living Standards Outlook 2019, which brings together recent data, the OBR’s economic projections … Continued

Real wages grew by 1.2 per cent in the three months to December 2018, as a tight labour market continues to deliver on both job quality and quantity, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest labour market figures. The Foundation says that real wage growth is on course to strengthen further … Continued

A secure job, a home of your own, and more money (particularly for low-income households) are all key drivers of higher well-being, and should therefore be prioritised by policy makers, according to a new report published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation. Happy now? examines subjective well-being across the country to assess the drivers of … Continued

Commenting on the ONS’ preliminary estimate of GDP growth in Q4 2018, which showed that growth has slowed to 0.2 per cent (barely a third of the UK’s pre-crisis average of 0.7 per cent) and contracted sharply in December (by 0.4 per cent), Research Director James Smith said: “Economic growth slowed markedly towards the end … Continued

Household incomes are around £1,500 a year lower today than they were expected to be before the Brexit referendum – with the UK having experienced the sharpest income growth slowdown of any economy for which the OECD publish data – according to a new Resolution Foundation analysis published today (Monday). Counting the cost – which … Continued

The Bank of England’s reduction of its forecast for economic growth from 1.7 per cent 1.2 per cent this year would represent the lowest growth since the financial crisis, and poses a major risk to living standards, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest Inflation Report. The Foundation notes that if … Continued

Workers in their 30s are still feeling the scars of the post-crisis pay squeeze in their pay packets, with typical pay for this age group still 7 per cent below its pre-crisis peak, according to new analysis published today (Sunday) in the Resolution Foundation’s latest Earnings Outlook. The Earnings Outlook shows that, following the unwelcome … Continued

The UK’s tax relief bill has grown to a record £164bn in 2018-19 – underlining the need for greater scrutiny of these reliefs – the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest annual HMRC tax statistics. Resolution Foundation analysis shows that these reliefs, which amount to significantly more than the entire health … Continued

Home ownership rates rose across England (up 1 percentage point to 64 per cent), and even in London (up slightly to 48 per cent), last year (2017/18) – the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the English Housing Survey headline report. Despite the uptick, ownership rates remain well below their 2003 peak of … Continued

Britain’s labour market tightened further to deliver a record high on employment and a record low on economic inactivity, the Resolution Foundation said today in response to the latest ONS figures. Employment hit a new record high of 75.8 per cent in the three months to November, while economic inactivity hit a joint record low … Continued

Britain’s post-crisis jobs boom has particularly benefited low-income households and disadvantaged groups – though rising employment has been accompanied by higher job insecurity for young people in particular – according to a new report published today (Monday) by the Resolution Foundation. Setting the record straight explores how record employment levels have changed Britain since the … Continued

England has just 825 homes for every 1,000 families, following 20 years of its housing stock not keeping pace with demographic change, according to new analysis published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. The new findings categorically refute the argument that England does not have a housing shortage by showing that the ratio between housing … Continued

Commenting ahead of Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd’s speech on Universal Credit today (Friday), Torsten Bell, Director of the Resolution Foundation said: “This is a welcome package of reforms. While time will tell on the detail, charting a course of changes to Universal Credit so that it better fits the realities of families’ lives is … Continued

Tightening up five of Britain’s existing wealth taxes and subsidies could raise almost £7bn a year by 2022-23 – and provide a down payment on covering the £36bn a year increase in the cost of public services by 2030 – the Resolution Foundation says today (Thursday) in a new briefing note. The Foundation says that … Continued

Britain’s 1.9 million black, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi employees are experiencing an annual pay penalty of £3.2bn according to new analysis published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation.   The Foundation says that the scale of pay penalties facing BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) workers should prompt government action, including building on the success … Continued

Fewer than one in five young families own in Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham Home ownership rates for families aged 25-34 are rising for the first time in 30 years, but high barriers to entry facing first-time buyers remain acute, according to new analysis published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Foundation says that eased … Continued

Commenting on the ONS’s decision today (Monday) to change the accounting of student loans, Matt Whittaker, Deputy Director at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Today’s decision by the ONS to bring the cost of student loans onto the books when they are issued could have major implications for the government, despite reflecting an accountancy change rather … Continued

Commenting on the government’s reforms to the workplace announced today (Monday), which build on the recommendations of the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, Lindsay Judge, Senior Policy Analyst at the Resolution Foundation said:  “With Britain seeing record employment levels the government is right to focus on raising the quality as well as quantity of work. … Continued

The ONS’ decision tomorrow (Monday) on how it treats student loans in the public finances could add £72bn to the government’s borrowing figures over the next five years, and virtually wipe out the Chancellor’s Brexit ‘deal dividend’, the Resolution Foundation says in a new briefing note published today (Sunday). The analysis shows that the result … Continued