The Bank of England’s Chief Economist, Huw Pill, has caused another public relations disaster by criticising workers for demanding higher pay - and firms for passing on higher costs. Instead, he told a podcast from Columbia Law School, “someone needs to accept that they’re worse off”. Let’s begin with a recap of what Pill was … Continue reading What a Pill
Tag: productivity
The trials and tribulations of a four-day week
This week has marked the start of a six-month UK trial of a four-day working week. Employees at around 70 businesses will receive 100% of their usual pay in return for just 80% of their usual hours. This concept is (of course!) hugely popular with the general public, and has been lapped up in the … Continue reading The trials and tribulations of a four-day week
Schools presentation on Brexit and Covid
Here are the slides from a virtual talk I gave today to a group of students from years 10 to 13... brexit-and-covid-25-april-2022-1Download
Will Brexit really shrink the UK economy by 4 per cent?
"Now it’s official. The Government’s own fiscal watchdog has confirmed that Brexit will shrink the UK economy by 4pc, costing the average household thousands of pounds." This is how many are interpreting the latest analysis by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which was published alongside the October Budget. This analysis seems to be … Continue reading Will Brexit really shrink the UK economy by 4 per cent?
Plain-speaking Economics 