The Chancellor could uncap public sector pay, unfreeze benefits and undo planned departmental spending cuts, but only at the cost of significant tax rises or ripping up his fiscal plans, according to new analysis published today (Saturday) by the Resolution Foundation. With the shock election result last month leading many politicians to conclude that seven … Continued

Britain should prepare now for the end of unlimited cheap labour The UK labour market is at a tipping point, with the coming together of falling migration and the rising cost of low-paid labour set to fundamentally reshape the world of work over the coming years, according to a new book published today (Friday) by … Continued

RF proposal would protect the self-employed who do not set their own prices from extreme low pay The government should extend minimum wage legislation to protect some of the UK’s 4.8 million self-employed workforce as part of its drive to tackle low pay and insecurity in the modern workforce, according to a new report published today … Continued

  Typical hourly pay for workers living in London, Northern Ireland and those under the age of 40 were still at least 11 per cent below pre-crisis levels as the pay squeeze returned at the start of the year, according to the Resolution Foundation’s latest Earnings Outlook published today (Sunday). With real average weekly earnings … Continued

Commenting on the latest ONS figures on persistent poverty published today (Tuesday), David Finch, Senior Economic Analyst at the Resolution Foundation, said: “While overall poverty rates in the UK are broadly in line with the rest of Europe, it’s encouraging to see that the risk of staying in poverty is far lower here, though it … Continued

The spreading of property wealth across Britain in the mid-1990s and mid-2000s fueled a decade-long fall in wealth inequality but that progress has now gone into reverse, according to a new report to be published later this week by the Resolution Foundation. The report, launching a major programme of work on wealth across Britain for … Continued

Real earnings growth falls to lowest level outside of the great pay squeeze in nearly 40 years Real pay growth dropped to its lowest level outside the great pay squeeze that followed the financial crisis in nearly 40 years, despite unemployment remaining at its lowest level since 1975, the Resolution Foundation said today in response … Continued

The latest rise in inflation will deepen Britain’s pay squeeze, while further falls in sterling could add further inflationary pressures in the coming months, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest inflation figures. CPIH increased from 2.6% to 2.7% in May, while CPI increased from 2.7% to 2.9%. The Foundation notes … Continued

  Employers are totally unprepared for the fall in migration that the new government has pledged to deliver once Britain leaves the EU, according to a new survey commissioned by the Resolution Foundation. With formal Brexit negotiations set to start in just seven days’ time, the survey identifies a huge gap between the kind of … Continued

The tax and benefit policies of the two main parties risk further straining the contract between generations by hitting younger working age families more than older generations, new analysis of the parties’ manifestos by the Resolution Foundation published today (Thursday) has found. Fairness between generations has emerged as a strong theme across both manifestos. The … Continued

  The sharp fall in net migration since the referendum shows that businesses relying on migrant workers should prepare for a very different labour market, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest net migration figures published today (Thursday). The latest figures show that the 84,000 fall in migration was led by a rising number … Continued

The gap between rich and poor areas is rising, despite the gap between rich and poor households having fallen since the financial crisis. This is according to Resolution Foundation analysis of ONS Regional Gross Household Disposable Income (GHDI) figures published this morning. The Resolution Foundation analysis shows that the ratio between the richest and poorest … Continued

Squeeze extends to low earners who are outside their companies’ DB pension schemes Today’s employees are footing part of the bill for plugging historic gaps in defined benefit (DB) pension schemes, even when they have no claim on the pension pot, according to a first of its kind study published today (Monday) by the Resolution … Continued

Getting on the housing ladder is a thing of the past for many young families across the country, with home ownership halving among this group between 1994 and 2016 in areas such as West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Outer London, new analysis by the Resolution Foundation has found. The new research counters the popular perception … Continued

  Britain kicked off 2017 with a renewed jobs boom and a painful pay squeeze, the Resolution Foundation said today in response to the latest labour market figures. Employment reached an all-time high of 74.8 per cent in the three months to March, while unemployment fell to the lowest level since 1975. In contrast, real … Continued

  Britain’s pay squeeze is on course to deepen in April as a result of a sharp increase in inflation, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest inflation figures today. The Resolution Foundation’s latest pay projection following today’s inflation figures indicates that real pay looks to have fallen by between -0.3% and -0.6% … Continued

  Tax rises have made a comeback in the 2017 General Election, marking a big change from recent elections where tax cuts have been front and centre of parties’ manifestos, according to a new briefing note published today (Tuesday) by the Resolution Foundation. The report notes that both Labour and the Lib Dems have committed … Continued

Britain is on course for a renewed earnings squeeze, following a sizeable revision of the Bank’s near-term forecasts for pay, productivity and household income growth, the Resolution Foundation said today (Thursday) in response to the latest Inflation Report. The Bank is predicting a 0.8 per cent drop in average pay over the course of 2017, … Continued

  Huge uncertainties about the main parties’ fiscal stances, just four weeks from polling day, mean that there could be as little as £7bn difference between them – or well over £50bn. This is according to a new report published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Deficit the Election Forgot notes how the deficit has … Continued

The recent pay squeeze has left many of Britain’s 1.8 million older low and middle income households struggling to save for retirement, despite enjoying strong employment growth over the last 20 years. This is according to a new report published today (Wednesday) by the Centre for Ageing Better and the Resolution Foundation. With the electoral … Continued

  Real wages falling in 40 per cent of the economy despite further falls in unemployment Around 40 per cent of the workforce are in sectors where pay is falling in real terms, the Resolution Foundation said today (Wednesday) in response to the latest ONS labour market figures. Real pay growth fell to 0.1 per … Continued

  The latest inflation figure of 2.3 per cent for March means that real average earnings look set to have fallen during the first three months of 2017, six months ahead of the OBR’s projection in the recent Budget, the Resolution Foundation said today (Tuesday) in response to the latest ONS figures. The Foundation’s updated … Continued

Four-fifths of the gains from tax and benefit changes coming into effect later this week (6 April) will go to the richest half of households, with the poorest third of households set to be £70 worse off on average, according to a new briefing note published today (Sunday) by the Resolution Foundation. The analysis looks … Continued

Pay for workers on the National Living Wage (NLW) will rise nearly four times faster than for a typical worker over this parliament, according to new Resolution Foundation analysis marking the latest increase of the NLW to £7.50 an hour today (Saturday). Today’s 30p increase means pay for NLW earners is estimated to be 1.5 … Continued

The number of EU-born workers in the UK fell by 50,000 in the last three months of 2016 to around 2,300,000 – with the biggest falls taking place among graduates and those working in banking, the public sector and construction – according to new analysis published today (Thursday) by the Resolution Foundation. The Foundation’s analysis … Continued