Britain is on course for the longest period of falling living standards since records began in the 1950s, with the current crunch forecast to last longer than the post-crisis income squeeze, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in its overnight Budget analysis. The report Freshly Squeezed highlights the unprecedented scale of the economic downgrade … Continued

Chancellor makes housing a welcome centrepiece of his Budget The Chancellor has delivered the first post-election giveaway Budget this century despite a grim outlook for the economy and public finances, driven by the Office for Budget Responsibility’s biggest ever productivity downgrade. That downgrade has huge implications for family finances over the remainder of the parliament, … Continued

Britain’s jobs market showed potential signs of losing momentum after years of impressive growth while the recent pay squeeze deepened further, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday) in response to the latest labour market figures. Today’s figures show that the UK employment rate dipped slightly from its recent peak, with recent falls concentrated among the … Continued

Unfreezing working age benefits next year and rebooting Universal Credit would provide a much needed living standards boost to young families as the majority of gains would go to millennials, according to a new report published today (Friday) by the Resolution Foundation. With the Chancellor under pressure to deliver an Autumn Budget that addresses the … Continued

Barely one in ten families are at risk of an overnight effect of today’s rate rise through higher mortgage costs, with young and middle income mortgage owners facing the biggest cost increases, the Resolution Foundation said today in response to the Bank’s decision to raise interest rates by 0.25ppts. The Foundation’s analysis finds that the … Continued

The current design of Universal Credit is not “fit for purpose” in 21st century Britain Change needed to end six week waits, recognise not everyone is paid monthly, and avoid big losses looming for lone parents Universal Credit needs urgent change if it is to be fit for purpose and become the bold welfare reform … Continued

  The latest fall in real pay means that average earnings are no higher than they were back in February 2006, the Resolution Foundation said (Wednesday) in response to today’s labour market figures. Real earnings fell by -0.4 per cent in the three months to August. However, with the rate of inflation having increased since … Continued

  Rising inflation is dealing a double living standards blow to low and middle income working families from squeezed pay packets and reduced state support, the Resolution Foundation said today in response to the latest inflation figures. The figures – which saw CPI increase to 3% and CPIH to 2.8% in September – confirm the … Continued

  Exiting the EU without a trade deal and reverting to WTO ‘most-favoured nation’ (MFN) tariffs with the EU would lead to significant price rises across a range of goods, with low-income households facing the biggest cost pressures. This is according to a new joint-report published today (Tuesday) by the Resolution Foundation and the UK … Continued

  Concerning fall in apprenticeship starts after years of steady progress The concerning fall in apprenticeship starts suggests that the government will need to make the new Apprenticeship Levy more user-friendly for businesses to get the welcome progress of recent years back on track, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest figures published … Continued

The number of low-paid employees dropped by over 300,000 last year as Britain experienced its biggest year on year fall in low pay since 1977, according to a new report by the Resolution Foundation published today (Thursday). Low Pay Britain 2017, the seventh instalment of the Foundation’s flagship annual low pay report, shows that the UK remains too reliant on low paid work, defined as employees earning less than two-thirds … Continued

  Over half a million of Britain’s economically inactive population have a high probability of finding work, suggesting there is far more slack in the labour market than the headline unemployment figures suggest. This is according to the Resolution Foundation’s latest quarterly Earnings Outlook – supported by the Nuffield Foundation – published today (Monday). With … Continued

  The proportion of BAME workers with degrees has increased rapidly over the last two decades, but they still face a jobs gap and pay penalty compared to white graduates in the workforce, according to a new analysis published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Foundation says that the disparities facing BAME groups shows … Continued

Young people have experienced the tightest squeeze on household spending since 2000 and now consume 15 per cent less than older working age people on items other than housing, according to a new report published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. The finding of a consumption ‘youth deficit’ is in stark contrast to common claims … Continued

The average share of income that Britain’s families spend on housing has trebled over the last 50 years, with young people having to make do with longer commutes and smaller, insecure rented accommodation, according to a new report published today (Wednesday) by the Resolution Foundation. As Labour and the Conservatives head to their party conferences … Continued

  The UK jobs market continues to perform strongly but it is failing to filter through into wages as the pay squeeze continues, the Resolution Foundation said today in response to the latest labour market figures. Employment hit a new record high in the three months to July, while unemployment and economic inactivity reached fresh … Continued

  The rising cost of food and clothing means that inflation is increasing fastest for the poorest households, the Resolution Foundation said today in response to the latest inflation figures. The Foundation notes that the rising cost of food and clothing – which was falling this time last year ­– is now the biggest driver … Continued

Britons across all age groups no longer believe that young people today will have a better life than their parents, with pessimism strongest among graduates and high earners, according to new analysis by Ipsos MORI for the Resolution Foundation published today (Saturday). The report, based on a survey of over 2,000 adults commissioned for the … Continued

Over 5 million people now have second homes  There has been a 30 per cent increase between 2000-02 and 2012-14 in the proportion of adults who own multiple properties, rising 1.6 million to 5.2 million people (one in ten adults) in that period, new analysis published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation has found. Combined … Continued

A tightening UK labour market, with employment at a new record high of 75.1 per cent and a significant slow down in the growth of EU workers, is raising job quality but not pay packets, the Resolution Foundation said in response to today’s Labour Market data release. With unemployment at 4.4 per cent, the lowest … Continued

Workers who move typically get a £2,000 pay rise  Contrary to the popular idea that ever more people move around the UK for work, moving region to change jobs is actually down 25 per cent since the turn of the millennium, with the typical worker that doesn’t move missing out on a £2,000 pay rise … Continued

Huge gaps in household income between different ethnicities persist Large living standards gaps between different ethnicities persist in Britain, with typical Bangladeshi household incomes being £8,900 (35 per cent) lower than the White British median; Pakistani households £8,700 less (34 per cent) and typical Black African households £5,600 less (22 per cent), according to new … Continued

  Welcome inflation fall but poorest households are experiencing the biggest price pressures The poorest households have experienced higher inflation than the richest households since the start of the year, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest inflation figures, which saw CPIH fall to 2.6 per cent in June. New Resolution … Continued

  Britain beset by big divides on housing, age and inequality The mini living standards boom between 2013 and 2015 came to an abrupt halt in the year running up to the recent General Election, with income growth halving to just 0.7 per cent, according to a major new report published today (Saturday) by the … Continued

  Women working in full-time employee jobs have accounted for 58 per cent of all jobs growth in the last year, despite the recent focus on men in the gig economy, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday) in response to the latest labour market figures. Real earnings fell by -0.5 per cent in the three … Continued