Unemployment

Welfare reform: can it work? By Helen Disney

17 February 2011 | Helen Disney

Today sees the launch of the coalition’s flagship Welfare Reform Bill. Looking at the gamut of reform challenges which this government has set itself – from radical NHS reform through to free schools, tuition fees, reforming policing, welfare overhaul and so on – the next few years are certainly not going to be easy. Read more...

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Functional friction, by John Marsh

28 January 2011 | John Marsh

Another working week draws to an end. For many in local government, though, it is a week they will long remember; one in which they were told that they will be made redundant in the near future. Read more...

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The Great Train Wreck of 2013, by Colin Talbot

17 December 2010 | Colin Talbot

Looking back on the Great Train Wreck of 2013, some say it was ironic that a government that was formed to tackle a public finance crisis of one sort should have managed to create a quite different one of its own making. But, of course, it wasn’t just a public financial crisis, as public services plunged into chaos. Read more...

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Northern exposure, by Jenni Viitanen

25 November 2010 | Jenni Viitanen

Last month’s Local Growth White Paper set out a vision for a ‘rebalanced’ economy in the UK, correcting the current version which is over-reliant on the financial sector and the Greater South East. While the white paper talks a good talk in terms of a more evenly shared growth, a closer examination reveals that the outcome of this economic rebalancing act could end up topsy-turvy. Read more...

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Grim news on growth, by Malcolm Prowle

16 November 2010 | Malcolm Prowle

The last set of figures for the UK’s Gross Domestic Product were trumpeted as positive news in many quarters, showing as they did a 0.8% increase for the quarter. While we certainly need some good news it would be hugely naïve to just swallow these figures without some consideration of other factors such as: Read more...

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Universal Credit: no solution, by Patrick Nolan

11 November 2010 | Patrick Nolan

Iain Duncan Smith has set out proposals for a comprehensive reform of the welfare system with the goals of simplification and ensuring that people who work will always be better off than people on benefits. The key features of these reforms are a greater focus on conditionality (so that when people receive support they are required to look for and take-up work), greater support for job seekers through the Work Programme and a Universal Credit. Read more...

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Getting welfare to work, by Sarah Jenkins and Hazel Roberts

10 November 2010 | Sarah Jenkins and Hazel Roberts

Getting more unemployed people into work is a key aim of coalition government policy, and the Work Programme, combined with an overhaul of the benefit system, is believed to be the vehicle to make this happen. Read more...

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Consequences of the fiscal squeeze, by Nick Jones

14 October 2010 | Nick Jones

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Welfare reforms won’t save money, by Ian Mulheirn

5 October 2010 | Ian Mulheirn

Iain Duncan Smith’s benefit reform proposals have been given the green light. The government is determined to overhaul the tax credit and benefit system to make it simpler and ultimately cheaper. The plans are still sketchy, but it’s worth considering the likelihood that the new system will save money once it’s up and running. There are at least two reasons why the reforms will save money, but there are four reasons why it will cost more money. Read more...

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Back to what work? by Tess Lanning

5 October 2010 | Tess Lanning

There are currently more than five people chasing every vacancy in the UK. New analysis by the Institute of Public Policy Research  shows that the job market will remain highly competitive until the end of 2011 at least and a ‘jobless’ recovery is likely until 2014, according to the Office for Budget responsibility. Read more...

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