Jobs or pay – we still haven’t got the hang of delivering on both
There are good reasons to worry that stalling earnings may stifle household demand
Richard Exell
Website Richard writes for Left Foot Forward on labour markets; he is the TUC’s senior policy officer, covering social security, tax credits and labour market issues - including the debates about the European social model and labour market flexibility.
The jobs recovery is still too finely balanced to call
We should be cautious about seeing a labour market trend from a month or two of bad figures
The jobs figures: even if it’s a blip, it’s a worrying one
As the prime minister boasted about the coalition’s jobs record, the reality was heading in the opposite direction
Labour market: Britain’s jobs success is vulnerable to further austerity
Real earnings are increasing but are too dependent on low inflation
Decent in-work benefits are crucial for reducing child poverty
Annual cuts to key benefits will take £17.9bn a year from working families by 2016/17
Labour market: Young people are the furthest from benefiting from this recovery
And getting back to pre-recession wages is going to take an awfully long time
Unemployment figures: prospects for living standards still poor as earnings growth remains slow
But the quality of jobs is improving
Good news on the jobs front, but pay is definitely not recovering
We’re going down an uncertain path, with serious threats for working people.
Three reasons pay might be falling
Good unemployment figures but stagnant pay have been the story about each month’s jobs figures for a year now.
Unemployment figures: London continues to pull away from the rest of the country
In the last two years, the number in employment in London has gone up by 312,000 – much higher than any other region.