We publish blogs to provide insights from, and stimulate debate about, the latest research and thinking. Any views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Institute as a whole.
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Unemployment is close to a five-year high at 5.2%, as more people are actively looking for work, with the employment rate and economic inactivity rate down slightly on the quarter. Payrolled employment continues to fall, though seemingly at a slower rate. Analysis of the February 2026 Labour Market Statistics by IES Chief Executive, Naomi Clayton.
Featured
Dr Alexandra Nancarrow examines how mapping the available support for transitioning from education to employment is essential for helping young people access the right services, and for enabling local authorities to identify gaps and build a more coherent, integrated system.
Analysis of the January 2026 Labour Market Statistics by IES Chief Executive, Naomi Clayton.
Emily Kramers and Rosie Gloster look at the wider benefits of adult learning, and specifically how these apply to learning English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for participants in the Restart employment support programme.
Nick Litsardopoulos takes an in-depth look at productivity, its relationship to pay and how it is measured, and identifies recommendations to help tackle the current economic stagnation.
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Dr Meenakshi Krishnan reflects on 2025 in terms of the rapidly changing face of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace, and identifies the key EDI trends for the coming year.
Billy Campbell discusses the mapping of support services available to young people from four specific groups and seeking employment. This project, commissioned by the Youth Futures Foundation, provides a clear visual representation of what support is available, and where more support is needed.
Billy Campbell reflects on the recently published evaluation of the Cumbrian Youth Alliance's Forging Futures Programme, which aims to support 16 to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training into sustained employment, and identifies the key take-away lessons from this research.
In anticipation of the delivery of the Autumn Budget, Naomi Clayton makes a series of recommendations as to how the new budget could raise living standards through improving participation in the workforce, particularly for groups with high levels of economic inactivity such as young people and those with long-term health conditions.
Naomi Clayton takes an in-depth look at the newly published Keep Britain Working Review, including summarising the key findings and how the recommendations can best be implemented.
Jonny Gifford explores the role of HR in the context of disciplinary processes, including the importance of adopting a humane approach rather than over-reliance on set procedures, and encourages HR professionals to critically examine their decisions from a 'do no harm' perspective.
Amy Fox summarises the results of the interim JobsPlus pilot evaluation, including their significance in the context of the Get Britain Working White Paper. This blog is in advance of the webinar IES will be hosting in November to explore additional emerging results from the evaluation, and what it means for future policy and practice.
