If geopolitics triggers another energy price shock, relying on interest rates alone to bring down inflation could leave the economy “too cold for too long”. @theguardian.com's @guardianheather.bsky.social cites @josephevans.bsky.social & @carsjung.bsky.social 👇 www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Good news for wages: OBR expects economic growth to be driven relatively more by productivity increases & investment, and less reliant on low wage labour.
Look out for forthcoming @ippr.org work on empowering workers to shape how AI affects their working lives - and get in touch if you're interested / already thinking about this!
Graph source: organise-speakout.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Worker+power...
Clear example of AI deployment making work more demanding, rather than taking workers' jobs
In other words, "degrading" work rather than "displacing" it
This isn't just a US thing - about 5x more UK workers say AI is making their jobs worse than those who say AI took their job
Key Employment Rights Act protections have broad support from the public. Why would a frontrunning populist party want to rip them up?
The policies in the bill are popular with the public, including with Reform supporters
Voters want an end to zero hours contracts, better access to sick pay and more flexible working
Reform is on the wrong side of their supporters and the public
hopenothate.org.uk/2025/04/10/r...
Living standards for workers are damaged by the UK’s low pay, low productivity, low investment economy
The Employment Rights Act lays the foundations of broader economic prosperity by strengthening workers’ rights, tackling insecurity and supporting union rights
www.ippr.org/articles/mak...
Reform’s plans to scrap the Employment Rights Act won’t tackle the cost of living and aren’t popular with the public – or even with their own supporters
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLDB...
Once inflation normalises, the Bank of England should move quickly to loosen policy so the UK does not fall further behind
Thanks to @eirnolsoe.bsky.social for covering our latest report - see the full analysis here: www.ippr.org/articles/the...
Policymakers are careful to avoid overheating the economy, but may undersell the harms of a cold one
When inflation is at target, running the economy at full speed can deliver higher wages for low-paid workers, lower pay inequality and stronger growth
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
📉 | NEW REPORT: UK policy may be holding the economy below its potential. Our new research shows how a full‑speed economy could unlock stronger wages and growth.
Read the report 👇 www.ippr.org/articles/the...
A century ago, Bristol had 17 electric tram routes running across the city.
Today, it has no mass transit system at all.
Meanwhile, 23 smaller cities in France have modern tram networks.
📣New @ippr.org report "Resilient by design: Building secure clean energy supply chains" by @praneshippr.bsky.social, Simone Gasperin & myself.
A guide for navigating an increasingly more turbulent world, marked by geopolitical tensions, tariff wars and competition for technological supremacy.
More from Claire Coutinho today on the other platform, comparing offshore wind results today to gas running costs, ignoring soaring gas construction costs...and we have to build something
In fact, from gov stats today:
New offshore wind: £95/MWh
New gas: £109 to ~£145/MWh
gov.uk/government/p...
I spoke to @bigissue.com about how sky-high executive pay is linked to the decline of trade unions
www.bigissue.com/news/employm...
The Employment Rights Act isn’t just good for workers - it’s good for the economy. @josephevans.bsky.social explains the wider benefits for businesses and society on @lbc.co.uk News 👇
Really helpful thread on the Bank of England's interest rate decision from IPPR's senior economist @willellisecon.bsky.social
Particularly interesting on how economic data compares to expectations - inflation is falling and unemployment is rising faster than the Bank or OBR expected
And finally! While we've heard a lot about businesses' concerns, we tested these policies with managers and found that many think they could have a positive impact on their organisation
www.ippr.org/articles/str...
These policies will benefit millions workers and create a fairer labour market
And while some of them will impose new costs on businesses, they have the potential to improve productivity - and therefore growth:
www.ippr.org/articles/pro...
...as well as a number of other policies, including:
- banning exploitative zero-hours contracts
- expanding rights to bereavement leave
- strengthening rights for pregnant workers
By 2027, workers will be protected from unfair dismissal after 6 months of employment, rather than 24 months
The new policy will restore unfair dismissal protections which applied from 1974-79 and bring us in line with comparable countries...
www.ippr.org/media-office...
...and trade unions will have new rights to access workplaces and recruit new members
This is a welcome change after decades of declining union membership, which could help to tackle low pay:
www.ippr.org/articles/mak...
In October, sectoral bargaining will be introduced to adult social care - an innovative approach that could be applied to other sectors, as we outlined earlier in the year...
www.ippr.org/articles/mis...
By April next year, every worker in the UK will have day-one rights to paternity leave, unpaid parental leave and sick pay
The lower earnings limit will also be removed on statutory sick pay
These are changes @ippr.org and other orgs have long called for
www.ippr.org/articles/hea...
The policies will be introduced in four "phases"
One of those phases is today!
Now that the Act has become law, two pieces of anti-union legislation - the 2016 Trade Union Act and the 2023 Strikes Act - have been repealed
The package was the outcome of years of work by unions, labour market experts and civil society groups
Collectively they shone a light on the growth of insecure, bad-quality work in the UK's labour market
Many of the solutions they proposed will now become law
The Act covers 28 distinct areas of employment law
It's a big first step in the "New Deal for Working People" - a workers' rights package designed by affiliate unions
labour.org.uk/wp-content/u...
The Employment Rights Act has received Royal Assent and is now law!
This is a huge moment for workers - one that's been years (even decades) in the making
Here's a thread on the Act, the key policies and the next phase of delivery🧵
Very helpful briefing on the state of the UK's labour market - especially the challenges facing younger workers, the role of the Bank of England in supporting a stronger economy, and the decline of workers' bargaining power in recent years
