Low pay· Labour market· Pay Escape Plan: Understanding who progresses from low pay and who gets stuck 11 November 2014 by Conor D’Arcy and Alex Hurrell Our findings highlight that employees can move into higher paying roles but escaping completely from low pay is more difficult. Overall, the evidence presented in the report suggests that employers and government do have scope to develop the progression prospects of low paid staff. While much is already being done, there are particular groups of people … Continued READ MORE
Tax Analysing the impact of increasing the personal tax allowance to £10,500 in 2015 18 March 2014 by Alex Hurrell A comparison of the effects of spending the same sum of money on two alternative tax reforms that are also being aired in the run-up to the Budget – raising the threshold at which workers have to pay NICs, and raising the higher rate tax thresholds so that fewer people get dragged into the 40 pence … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay More than a minimum: The review of the minimum wage – Final report 12 March 2014 by James Plunkett and Alex Hurrell and Conor D’Arcy The final report of the Resolution Foundation’s review of the future of the National Minimum Wage. The review has worked for the past nine months under the chairmanship of Professor Sir George Bain, the founding chair of the Low Pay Commission, exploring whether the minimum wage and its supporting architecture could do more to tackle … Continued READ MORE
Living standards The State of Living Standards 11 February 2014 by James Plunkett and Alex Hurrell and Matthew Whittaker Household incomes are set to start rising again in 2015 after six years of decline according to the Resolution Foundation. The findings come in a detailed and authoritative assessment of the state of Britain’s living standards. However, the report from the independent think tank also finds that growth in disposable income for the typical household … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Labour market· Pay Starting out or getting stuck? An analysis of who gets trapped in low paid work—and who escapes 27 November 2013 by Alex Hurrell Almost three-quarters of Britain’s workers who were on low pay in 2002 failed to escape from it over the course of the following decade. Both low pay and social mobility are recognised as serious concerns in Britain but much less attention has been given to how easy or hard it is for someone to work their … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay Minimum stay: Understanding how long people remain on the minimum wage 26 October 2013 by Conor D’Arcy and Alex Hurrell Britain’s growing minimum wage workforce includes 320,000 people who have been trapped on the lowest rung of the pay ladder for five years or more. Minimum Stay shows that 17 per cent of all those currently earning the minimum wage or up to 25p an hour above it, have only ever held jobs at this pay level … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Labour market· Pay Low Pay Britain 2013 4 September 2013 by Matthew Whittaker and Alex Hurrell Economic downturn has pushed a further 1.4 million employees below the Living Wage – the rate deemed necessary for a basic standard of living. Low Pay Britain 2013 shows that 4.8 million Britons (20 per cent of all employees) earn below the Living Wage – a leap from 3.4 million (14 per cent) in 2009 – at … Continued READ MORE
Low pay· Pay Fifteen years later: A discussion paper on the future of the UK National Minimum Wage and Low Pay Commission 4 July 2013 by James Plunkett and Alex Hurrell In 15 years the UK National Minimum Wage (NMW) has evolved from a bold and experimental labour market intervention into a permanent and generally uncontroversial tool of economic policy. The Low Pay Commission (LPC), enshrined in law in 1998 to recommend the rate of the NMW, has won widespread support, with its decisions endorsed by … Continued READ MORE
Budgets & fiscal events· Public spending· Economy and public finances Resolution Foundation analysis of the 2013 Budget 8 April 2013 by Vidhya Alakeson and Alex Hurrell and Matthew Whittaker The Chancellor’s fourth Budget was a relatively quiet affair. While pre-announced changes mean that millions of households will face further reductions in benefit and tax credit receipts from April, the latest financial statement said nothing new about welfare cuts (though it confirmed that departmental spending is set to be tightened still further). READ MORE
Welfare No Clear Benefit 30 January 2013 by Matthew Pennycook and Alex Hurrell Low-income families will see their council tax bills rise by up to £600 a year from April. As a result of council tax benefit reform, No Clear Benefit shows that three-quarters of local authorities are set to demand increased payments from the 3.2 million poorest working-age households who currently pay either no council tax or a reduced … Continued READ MORE
Childcare· Welfare The costs of childcare after housing costs 24 December 2012 by Alex Hurrell It is well known that the UK has some of the most expensive childcare in the OECD, accounting for a third of household income in some cases. New analysis published by the Resolution Foundation shows that the picture is even bleaker for families than we generally assume. The analysis looks at the costs of childcare … Continued READ MORE
Childcare· Welfare Counting the Costs of Childcare 28 October 2012 by Vidhya Alakeson and Alex Hurrell Counting the Costs of Childcare finds that high childcare costs mean that a woman working full-time could bring home as little as £4 a week in extra pay. In the most extreme case, a second earner working full-time at the minimum wage in a family where her partner is already working full-time at the same … Continued READ MORE
Labour market· Pay Trends in wages and incomes: 2003-2008 21 September 2012 by Alex Hurrell Prior to the crash the economy was growing steadily, with real GDP per capita growth of 7.0 per cent between 2003 and 2008, equivalent to an average annual growth rate of 1.4 per cent. Yet the benefits of this relatively strong economic performance did not filter down to the average worker; after accounting for inflation, … Continued READ MORE
Welfare Creditworthy: Assessing the impact of tax credits in the last decade and considering what this means for Universal Credit 27 June 2012 by Paul Gregg and Alex Hurrell and Matthew Whittaker Creditworthy assesses the direct and indirect impacts of tax credits, finding that there is no evidence that tax credits hold down low wages. The analysis discredits the assumption that tax credits, available to low and middle income families, enable employers to pay lower wages. Tax credits reach around six million families, providing substantial support for … Continued READ MORE
