Tuesday’s official data on the state of the UK labour market have been interpreted in several conflicting ways, so here is an attempt to cut through the fog. I took two main points from the figures themselves. First, activity in the labour market continues to cool. I would not pay much attention to the headline … Continue reading What to make of today’s UK jobs data
Tag: National Minimum Wage
Labour is gaslighting the public to hide its economic failings
In a recent interview, Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted that she would not ‘gaslight’ working people over her plans to turn the economy around. Unfortunately, this merely turned up the dial on the irony meter. The new government has consistently made dodgy claims in an attempt to convince voters that the reality is somehow different from … Continue reading Labour is gaslighting the public to hide its economic failings
More pain to come as Budget measures bite
The jump in inflation in October was not a big surprise after the 10% increase in household fuel bills, but the cost-of-living crisis will worsen before it gets better. Most commentators expect the measures in last month’s Budget to add to inflation next year, as businesses pass on the costs of the large increases in … Continue reading More pain to come as Budget measures bite
Some heretical thoughts on youth unemployment
The latest official data on the UK labour market were mostly reassuring, but younger workers have still borne the brunt of the job losses during the pandemic. How big a concern is this? And what, if anything, should be done about it? Let’s begin with the headline numbers. The latest increase in total unemployment, to … Continue reading Some heretical thoughts on youth unemployment
Plain-speaking Economics 