Wealth across Scotland has broken the £1 trillion barrier and should play a bigger part in Holyrood debates 22 June 2018 Scotland’s household wealth has exceeded £1 trillion for the first time, according to a new report published today (Friday) by the Resolution Foundation. The report – The £1 trillion pie: how wealth is shared across Scotland – looks at both the scale of assets in 21st Century Scotland and who holds them. It says that wealth is playing … Continued READ MORE
Pimlico Plumbers judgement could have significant implications for British firms arguing most of their workforce are self-employed contractors 13 June 2018 Commenting on the Supreme Court judgment today (Wednesday) on the case of Pimlico Plumbers Ltd and another v Smith, Torsten Bell, Director of the Resolution Foundation, said: “The Supreme Court judgment today could have significant implications for many workers that firms see as self-employed contractors and miss out on employment rights like the minimum wage, … Continued READ MORE
Female unemployment falls to record low but no sign of a pay rebound 12 June 2018 Female unemployment has fallen to a record low of 4.1 per cent but pay growth across the economy continues to disappoint, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. Overall unemployment remained at 4.2 per cent, while employment remained at a record high of 75.6 per cent. Female … Continued READ MORE
Government’s £20bn NHS funding boost will mean higher borrowing and tax rises 12 June 2018 Ministers should reject a National Insurance rise and consult on a wider range of tax rises Restoring the path of NHS spending to its historical level of growth will require £20bn of extra borrowing and taxes by the end of the parliament, according to a new report published today (Tuesday) by the Resolution Foundation. However, … Continued READ MORE
Low pay falls to its lowest level since 1982 but policy makers need to focus on new ‘triple threat’ 18 May 2018 Lack of progression, power and gender imbalance mean policy should go beyond a higher minimum wage Having boosted millions of workers’ pay through the National Living Wage, businesses and government must now look to the new frontiers of low pay, the Resolution Foundation says today (Friday) in its annual flagship Low Pay Britain report. The … Continued READ MORE
Commission calls for a £2.3bn NHS levy and a £10,000 Citizen’s Inheritance to build a new generational contract for young and old 8 May 2018 A new generational contract is needed to tackle the big challenges Britain faces for young and old, covering a better funded NHS and care system, a radically reformed housing market, and a new citizen’s inheritance to boost the prospects of younger generations. This is according to the final report of the Intergenerational Commission published … Continued READ MORE
Scrap Inheritance Tax and replace it with one that is fairer to families and harder to avoid 2 May 2018 Inheritance Tax should be abolished and replaced with a new system that commands greater public support by being fairer to families and harder to avoid, according to a new report published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation for the Intergenerational Commission. Passing on, the 21st report of the Intergenerational Commission and last before it publishes its … Continued READ MORE
£1 billion funding boost and a “hearts and minds” business engagement drive needed to make a success of T levels 27 April 2018 apprenA major funding boost and business engagement drive is needed to get T levels – new technical qualifications for 16-18 year olds – off the ground and help the neglected majority of young non-graduates who are badly let down by the education system, according to a new report published today (Friday) by the Resolution Foundation. … Continued READ MORE
Falling unemployment has curbed the growth of zero hours contracts 23 April 2018 Britain’s tight labour market – which has seen unemployment fall to a 43-year low – has curbed the growth of zero hours contracts (ZHCs), the Resolution Foundation said today (Monday) in response to the latest ONS business survey of ZHCs use. The ONS survey, carried out in November 2017, showed that 1.8 million firms used … Continued READ MORE
Britain’s 12-month pay squeeze ends as jobs market breaks new records 17 April 2018 Britain has passed a living standards landmark with real pay finally growing again after a 12-month squeeze. And there are was more good news in the jobs market as unemployment fell and employment hit a record high, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market figures. Real (CPIH-adjusted) average … Continued READ MORE
Up to a third of millennials face renting from cradle to grave 17 April 2018 Policy makers need to radically reform the private rental sector to make it fit for raising children and retirement because a generation of young people face the prospect of never owning their own home, according to a new report published today (Tuesday) by the Resolution Foundation for its Intergenerational Commission. Home Improvements sets out … Continued READ MORE
Men and women sharing low-paid work equally would close the gender pay gap by a fifth 31 March 2018 Indefensible gender pay gaps at the top of companies shouldn’t mean we ignore the fact that women do most of the low-paid work If low-paid jobs were evenly distributed among men and women, the overall gender pay gap would fall by over a fifth (21 per cent), according to new analysis published today (Saturday) by … Continued READ MORE
Sharp fall in basic level apprenticeships for workers aged 25+ shows that government reforms are weeding out poor quality provision 29 March 2018 The sharp drop in level 2 apprenticeship starts for workers aged 25+ show that the government reforms are weeding out poorer quality provision, though the fall in starts for young people is a concern, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest figures for apprenticeship starts. The DfE figures show that … Continued READ MORE
‘Big Smoke bonus’ of moving to London for work has grown to almost 20 per cent over the last decade 28 March 2018 The typical pay rise associated with moving to London for work has increased to 18 per cent, but high housing costs are limiting the overall income gains from moving to a new job in the capital for many, according to the Resolution Foundation’s Earnings Outlook published today (Wednesday). The latest Earnings Outlook looks at prospects for … Continued READ MORE
Middle-income households saw solid living standards gains in 2016-17 – but that growth is slowing 22 March 2018 Commenting on the latest Households Below Average Income (HBAI) survey for 2016-17, published today (Thursday) by the Department for Work and Pensions, Adam Corlett, Senior Economic Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “Today’s household income survey – the most comprehensive we have – shows that typical households saw solid income growth of 2 per … Continued READ MORE
Britain’s pay squeeze has finally ended – but public sector workers will have to wait 21 March 2018 Britain’s 12-month pay squeeze has finally ended, though public sector workers will have to wait until new higher pay settlements are agreed to see real pay rises, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday) following the latest labour market statistics. Today’s figures show that real average weekly earnings fell by 0.2 per cent in … Continued READ MORE
It’s time to properly abolish the ‘poll tax’ – by scrapping council tax 20 March 2018 Entirely new system genuinely based on a proportion of a property’s value now desirable and feasible Council tax is outdated, regressive, and, despite being notionally based on the value of homes, functions in many ways like a poll tax – exactly the type of tax it was introduced to get away from – said the … Continued READ MORE
Chancellor faces tougher choices and tax rises if Britain is to ‘reach the end of the tunnel’ on austerity 14 March 2018 The Chancellor will need to hope for better forecasts or raise taxes if he’s to stick to his goal of eliminating the deficit and driving significant reductions in debt, while ending the UK’s unprecedented squeeze on public spending. This is according to the Resolution Foundation’s overnight analysis of the Spring Statement 2018 published today … Continued READ MORE
‘Sugar Rush Spring Statement’ sees good news fade quickly as outlook for growth and living standards remains bleak 13 March 2018 The Chancellor has set out a ‘Sugar Rush Spring Statement’ – with welcome short-term news on borrowing and growth but the long term challenges of weak growth and pay remain – the Resolution Foundation said today. The Office for Budget Responsibility today delivered a slightly sunnier short-term forecast for the Chancellor, with borrowing for 2017-18 … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Just about managing families set for biggest year of benefit cuts since 2012 11 March 2018 Benefit changes coming into effect from 9 April are set to save around £2.5bn – the second biggest welfare saving in a single year since the crash – and will significantly squeeze incomes of ‘just about managing’ families – according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Sunday). While the Chancellor has downplayed the prospect … Continued READ MORE
Chancellor set for short term productivity and borrowing boost in next Tuesday’s Spring Statement 8 March 2018 Longer term outlook for pay, growth and debt will remain bleak, despite welcome upward revisions The Chancellor is on course to receive a public finance boost of between £7bn and £11bn next week, with the Office for Budget Responsibility expected to deliver a short-term upgrade to the UK’s economic outlook, according to a new report published … Continued READ MORE
Baby boomers face a choice between higher capital taxes or lower take home pay for our children, warns Lord Willetts 5 March 2018 Increase in spending by 2040 will be equivalent to a 15p income tax rise unless other tax revenues are found In a major speech today (Monday), Resolution Foundation Executive Chair Lord David Willetts will warn that Britain faces tough choices about how to pay for rising health and welfare costs in Britain, and who is … Continued READ MORE
Radical ‘Better Jobs Deal’ proposed to fix the modern labour market for millions of young people 26 February 2018 Bold new approach required to help the one in three millennials who say they’ve been held back from moving jobs A ‘Better Jobs Deal’ is needed to tackle fundamental flaws in the UK labour market and kick-start the prospects of millions of highly skilled young people at risk of being scarred by the recent crisis, … Continued READ MORE
Living standards are set to start rising again but just about managing families face three years of income stagnation 22 February 2018 Family incomes are set to start slowly rising again next year but low and middle income households risk missing out with three years of stagnating living standards lasting until 2020, according to the Resolution Foundation’s annual living standards outlook published today (Thursday). The report brings together the OBR’s latest economic forecasts with policy impact assessments … Continued READ MORE
Fastest pay growth in a year and more full time work suggest pay pressures from high employment levels could be building 21 February 2018 A tighter labour market is delivering more full time jobs, an uptick in pay growth and a drop in insecure work, but overall levels of insecurity and pay remain major concerns, the Resolution Foundation said in response to today’s labour market statistics. The latest figures also show that we have seen the first rise in … Continued READ MORE