Labour market deterioriation is now becoming a cause for real concern
Today’s labour market statistics are simply bad news, though the monthly unemployment data are slightly more promising – but overall, levels remain high.
Nicola Smith
Website Nicola writes for Left Foot Forward on labour market issues. She is the Head of the Economic and Social Affairs Department at the TUC - and is a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee - and also writes at Touchstone.
Universal Credit – we still haven’t been told who will lose
It is still very far from certain whether the government’s Universal Credit proposals will be able to deliver its aim of a simpler, less complex welfare system.
Cutting workers’ rights will not increase employment
Nicola Smith reports on the evidence which shows that David Cameron’s plans to reduce workers’ rights will not increase employment.
Many will be worse off under Universal Credit
Last week’s welfare reform white paper included the following graph, claiming to show that “many households will receive more under Universal Credit than under the current system”; at first viewing, the graph does appear to show small weekly gains for those in lower income deciles, and insignificant losses for those higher up the income distribution. But all is not as it seems.
Simplification, sanctions and cuts won’t create jobs
Over the last few days the coalition has been keen to sell Universal Credit as the answer to all the labour market’s problems. After the deepest recession in decades, they are confident they can reduce worklessness by 300,000 jobs (a ‘conservative’ estimate), reduce child and working age poverty, reduce working-age welfare expenditure by £18 billion and make everyone in work better off, simply by reforming the welfare system.
Cable is wrong: Working families will be worse off after tax credit changes
While recent announcements have led to increases in the child element, they have also led to significant cuts in the basic element, 30 hour element and childcare elements as well increasing the rate at which tax credit awards fall in relation to rising household incomes. In contrast to the business secretary’s claim, the reality for many working families (particularly those with childcare costs) is therefore that the total impact of these changes means they will receive far less now than they would do if current policy remained in place.
Labour market weakness continues – while help for long-term unemployed is cut
Today’s labour market statistics show that there should be real government concern about the direction that our labour market is taking, reports Nicols Smith.
Child Benefit cuts will hit the poor hardest in the long run
In the long run, the cuts to Child Benefit announced today will hit the poorest hardest, as the principle of universal benefits is eroded, argues Nicola Smith.
The DWP’s mysterious figures on workless households
The DWP have recently briefed journalists on the number of households in the UK where nobody has ever been in paid employment – but where have the figures come from?
Good news on employment, but concerning signs for the future
Today’s labour market figures present some promising news, as well as a number of concerning signs about the future direction of the labour market recovery.