If you are trying to predict the outlook for unemployment it is, of course, essential to get the starting point right. This blog therefore runs through the latest available official data and employment surveys. A follow-up piece will outline my own forecasts. The pandemic has raised question marks over all the usual measures of unemployment … Continue reading A quick dive into the UK labour market data
Tag: unemployment
Is the UK heading for a ‘tsunami’ of job losses?
Today’s headlines understandably focus on the latest rise in unemployment, especially among the young. Losing a job is potentially a life-changer for many people. But it is no shock that the UK labour market has weakened given the depth of the Covid recession. The real news is that the deterioration is not as bad as … Continue reading Is the UK heading for a ‘tsunami’ of job losses?
Chancellor gets it just about right
Rishi Sunak’s ‘Summer Economic Update’ was judged well – and delivered well – but it remains to be seen whether all the headline-grabbing measures will live up to the hype. The blizzard of announcements, culminating in the gimmicky ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme, left me at least wondering whether the Chancellor was trying a … Continue reading Chancellor gets it just about right
Are 9.3 million people really still on furlough?
One of the biggest threats to the economic recovery is a second wave of job losses as the government’s job retention scheme (JRS) is wound down. The Resolution Foundation has some good analysis here. Nonetheless, the headline figure of 9.3 million for the number of jobs that have been supported by the JRS may overstate … Continue reading Are 9.3 million people really still on furlough?
Plain-speaking Economics 