The UK labour market and labour market policies

Understand this issue

Is Labour's inheritance really worse than expected?

podcast

We assess the Chancellor's statement on Monday about the state of the public finances.

30 July 2024

Growth and cutting inequality must go hand in hand for Labour

comment

"Labour’s manifesto may barely mention it, but consideration of inequality must nevertheless be at the heart of its agenda." Paul Johnson in the FT.

23 July 2024

Levelling up: it’s time to step up

comment

The gap in employment rates between the best- and worst-performing areas is at its widest since 2005, says Christine Farquharson.

30 June 2024

Policy analysis

A decade and a half of historically poor growth has taken its toll

press release

Low investment, policy mistakes, political instability, and Brexit have combined to hold back growth by more than in many comparable nations.

3 June 2024

The Conservatives and the Economy, 2010–24

working paper

This chapter documents the course of the economy over the last 14 years for the forthcoming book 'The Conservative Effect, 2010-2024'.

3 June 2024

How do the last five years measure up on levelling up?

report

How well – or badly – has the UK fared on the 12 levelling up missions? We examine early progress and the scale of the challenge ahead.

19 June 2024

Academic research

The impact of labour demand shocks when occupational labour supplies are heterogeneous

working paper

We study the heterogeneous impact of subsequent demand shifts on wages and employment in Germany.

28 June 2024

Labour market inequality and the changing life cycle profile of male and female wages

working paper

We estimate the distribution of life cycle wages for cohorts of prime-age men and women in the US.

15 April 2024

Very weak income growth for poor pensioners has meant rising pensioner poverty since 2011

press release

This report examines the key trends in pensioner incomes and poverty over the past two decades.

19 July 2024