Employment

Bedroom tax? Let’s sleep on it

8 February 2013 | Claudia Wood

The ‘bedroom tax’ is a blunt instrument with which to cut housing benefit and reduce under-occupation of accommodation. The evidence for its effectiveness just doesn’t stack up Read more

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A grown-up debate on childcare

28 January 2013 | Kimberley Trewhitt

The government says it wants to make childcare more affordable for working parents. Tackling supply-side issues is the only effective way to do it Read more

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Making a fair day’s pay work

23 January 2013 | Matthew Pennycook

Everyone stands to gain from paying employees a decent living wage. The public sector should use its leverage as an employer and procurer of services to extend living wage agreements

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Borrow to build

11 December 2012 | John Perry

The construction of more council houses could help provide homes to rent while boosting job creation and the wider economy. George Osborne should lift the borrowing caps on local authorities to make this happen Read more

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Perils of payment by results

3 December 2012 | John Tizard

Public bodies seem to be pursuing the use of payment by results with the vigour of a drunk in search of the next bottle of alcohol. Disaster looms unless there’s some sober consideration of where and when such an approach can work Read more

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The pay increase that wasn’t

17 October 2012 | Alastair Hatchett

Figures released today from the ONS suggest that public sector earnings are rising faster than those in the private sector. In fact, the reverse is true and the numbers are a statistical quirk Read more

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Who cares about the care workers?

8 October 2012 | Heather Wakefield

The pay and working conditions of our predominantly female care workforce are already a national scandal. Cuts to council budgets can only make matters worse  Read more

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Public sector’s flexible friends

26 September 2012 | Tom Hadley

Vince Cable was praising the UK’s flexible workforce at the LibDem conference. So why is the government proposing measures that make it harder to use temporary staff? Read more

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Public pay stats: surely some mistake?

18 September 2012 | Alastair Hatchett

Public sector pay seems to be growing faster than private sector earnings. But scratch the surface and it’s mostly down to smoke and mirrors  Read more

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Beware dangers from building boost

5 September 2012 | Mark Hellowell

The government is planning to underwrite £50bn of infrastructure and housing projects, but it must be careful to not burden the taxpayer with liabilities that could prove catastrophically expensive Read more

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