Hi all, Set your calendars for late November — and no, not just Radiohead’s first tour in seven years. It’s Rachel Reeves’s second Budget (see our chart of the week for more). Reeves is under pressure to prove she can deliver a British economy which is fitter, happier and more productive without making the sums … Continued The post Sticky prices and sh*tty platforms appeared first on Resolution Foundation.| Resolution Foundation
Between all the talk of ‘broken Britain’ and the critiques of such ‘miserabilist’ analyses, it’s sometimes quite hard to figure out where the country now stands. This is why we’ve partnered to produce an evidence-led assessment of the key issues our politicians confront as they return from their hols. The Government tells us growth is … Continued The post Growth would make all the Government’s challenges easier to solve – but it is not straining every sinew to achieve it a...| Resolution Foundation
August is generally thought of as a slower month. And while we hope everyone is taking a well-deserved break before the end of summer as we are, we have some exciting announcements this month. The first of which is our investment into Clu, a company fixing the broken recruitment system by making skills-based hiring practical for employers, … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Afternoon all, My son’s hot take on the Spring Statement was “I heard someone say on the radio that Rachel Reeves stuck to her own rules. That’s good. Not like Boris Johnson when he made those rules for everyone then had a party!!” This neatly summarises the two bits of political news that have cut … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Labour Market Outlook·| www.resolutionfoundation.org
Resolution Ventures supports organisations harnessing technology to improve the working lives of people on low-pay or in insecure employment.| Resolution Foundation
Morning all, Tera here, stepping in as guest editor. Following both Ruth and Giles is, frankly, a daunting prospect – but it’s August, and no one reads anything too carefully in August. So here we are. With half the economics and policy world on a sun lounger, it’s been a good week to catch up … Continued The post Pondering productivity and welcoming our robot over-lords appeared first on Resolution Foundation.| Resolution Foundation
This month, we’re proud to welcome Work and Communications (WAC) to our portfolio, a standout WorkerTech venture bringing pay transparency and financial control to hundreds of thousands of hourly-paid workers.| Resolution Foundation
Afternoon all, Giles Wilkes here – no, I’m not the new Chief Executive of RF, but have been given the great responsibility of guest editing ToTC while Ruth is away this week. I have a habit, as I slog through the week’s economic news, of filing everything into a good or bad news bucket. Recently, … Continued The post Clickbait, consultants and cloudy forecasts appeared first on Resolution Foundation.| Resolution Foundation
Morning all, Imagine having a team of people who can pretty much draw any chart you can dream up? I know, I’m incredibly lucky. But who knew they were so well read? When I asked the Resolution crew what I should read this summer the answers were too good to keep to myself. Plus, we’re … Continued The post Bigger states, better captains and stronger safety nets appeared first on Resolution Foundation.| Resolution Foundation
Today’s announcement of a new Pensions Commission marks a welcome return to long-term thinking about retirement. The original Commission, launched more than two decades ago, laid the groundwork for auto-enrolment, which has enabled millions more people to save for later life. It sits up there with the National Minimum Wage on the pantheon of truly … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Afternoon all, I’ve been thinking this week about one question I used to ask in interviews: “How do you persuade the public (and politicians) of the risks of higher borrowing?”. To be honest, it always felt a bit harsh as no one has yet figured out a great answer. But two people passed the test … Continued The post Sex, subtitles and specialist cities appeared first on Resolution Foundation.| Resolution Foundation
This article was originally published in The Times. The strained state of Britain’s public finances is already a big concern. These pressures are set to grow rather than dissipate over the coming decades. This week the Office for Budget Responsibility published a sobering report that set out some of the key long-term trends pushing up … Continued The post The triple lock has been far more damaging than I ever feared appeared first on Resolution Foundation.| Resolution Foundation
Afternoon all, What a week. There will now be a review of whether the current assessment system is fit for purpose BEFORE reforming disability benefits. Some sense in that, but the way we got here risks meaning the Government has lost the trust needed to do that reform. Despite the bluster the Bill remains significant, … Continued| Resolution Foundation
An independent think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes.| www.resolutionfoundation.org
Afternoon all, I’ve used up all my wordcount covering developments around the welfare changes in our something for the weekend feature, so let’s keep this short. Given it’s been such a febrile week, we thought we’d pick some nice uncontroversial topics– HS2, small-boat crossings and park-bashing. If you need me, I’ll be draped over the … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Just like the smoker who says he is good at giving-up smoking because he’s done it so many times, so Britain is good at Industrial Strategy – we’ve had lots of them. This White Paper is an excellent addition to the canon of serious exercises from the likes of Michael Heseltine, Peter Mandelson, Vince Cable … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Morning all, If you publish enough documents called a strategy does it amount to having a strategy? Well, if you were hoping for a quiet life after the Spending Review the Government has other plans (and so, tragically, does the world but we leave that to other commentators). We’ve tackled the infrastructure strategy (published yesterday) … Continued| Resolution Foundation
This month, we’re focusing on the government’s decision to end overseas recruitment for care workers, a move that’s raising concerns about staffing shortages in an already stretched sector. We also delve into the latest insights from the Resolution Foundation, covering the impact of planned welfare reforms and public investment strategies ahead of the 2025 Spending … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Placeholder page – do not remove, use ‘Blog Posts’ to add new blog posts.| www.resolutionfoundation.org
It is only four months since Rachel Reeves ‘shocked’ Britain by doing what every Chancellor does after an election – jacking up taxes. We have now been told the Government will make the “politically difficult” choice to cut welfare. It is safe to say that no political choices are walks in the park. The “bravest” … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Greg joined the Foundation as Research Director in September 2020. He also works part-time as an Associate Professor in the University of Nottingham’s School of Economics. Prior to this, he had been Head of International Research at the Bank of England, and worked for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and the Independent Commission on … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Welcome to 2025! We kick off the new year with forecasts from the Resolution Foundation that look at how fiscal and policy decisions taken at the end of last year might affect living standards through this one. However, stories from the year just gone by linger on, as reports emerge of high street retailers having used questionable employment … Continued| Resolution Foundation
The Chancellor’s speech today provided some more detail on how the Government plans to boost growth. One can begin to discern the outlines of a growth strategy taking shape, and it is increasingly clear what this government wants to be known for: building things. A concrete growth strategy Life is never really this simple, but … Continued| Resolution Foundation
The jobs market ended 2024 with good news on pay. That’s if you have a job – and there was worrying evidence that it’s getting harder to find one. We delve into the detail below. Employment is falling… After two strong years, the jobs market cooled off markedly throughout 2024. Employee jobs fell again in … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Turbulent gilt markets, a devaluing pound and speculation about the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgrading its economic forecasts is not the start to 2025 the Chancellor was hoping for. What is causing all the fuss? On 9 January, the UK 10-year gilt yield closed at 4.8 per cent, up from 4.58 per cent just … Continued| Resolution Foundation
Despite a welcome return to growth, disappointing GDP data raises fears of stagnation| www.resolutionfoundation.org