News

November's announcement of significant investment in employment support is welcome news, but it risks being drowned out by divisive rhetoric around ‘coasters’ who want to ‘take taxpayers for a ride’.

Today was meant to see publication of the latest labour market statistics from the Labour Force Survey. Unfortunately however, issues with the reliability of the survey mean that instead only three figures were published..

The stand-out figure in today’s data is another sharp increase in the number of people off work with long-term health conditions, up by nearly a hundred thousand in the last quarter to over 2.5 million people.

There are still nearly half a million fewer people in work than before the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by more people out of work due to long-term health conditions and more older people out of work.

With vacancies at near record level, IES Director Tony Wilson looks ahead to Friday's emergency mini budget.

IES details The Commission on the Future of Employment Support to develop evidence-led proposals for reform of our system of employment support and services, so that it can better meet the needs of individuals, employers and our economy.

These figures are a timely reminder of the challenges the next prime minister will face. All the talk of tax cuts and 're-doing Brexit' won't help firms with the biggest problem they're facing, which is finding the workers to fill their jobs.

This is really grim news on pay and is only likely to get worse. Despite the tightest labour market on record, nominal pay is broadly flat meaning that rocketing inflation is leading to the largest cuts in real pay in at least two decades.

This morning’s Labour Market Statistics are disappointing overall (again). The further sharp fall in unemployment disguises an unexpectedly large rise in the number of people out of work and not looking for work.

Comment from IES Director Tony Wilson on today's labour market statistics.