If the ONS can’t measure productivity, how are we meant to improve it? April 23, 2025 The ONS's shortcomings are far from trivial, its bad maths is holding back the UK economy, writes Paul Ormerod.
Labour is targeting the disabled not because it’s hard, but because it’s easy March 19, 2025 Labour's cut to disability benefits is not the mark of a government making "tough decisions", but desperate ones, writes Will Cooling.
Quarter of young workers considering quitting the workforce March 17, 2025 A quarter of British 18-24 year olds have considered leaving the workforce in the last year in a sign of the increasing impact of economic inactivity spreading across the UK. Among all UK workers, 10 per cent are currently actively considering leaving work for an extended period, with a further 20 per cent having considered [...]
The Debate: Has Britain lost its work ethic? February 5, 2025 Chris Philp has told Brits to pull up their bootstraps, but have we really lost our work ethic? We let two writers hash it out.
Higher UK interest rates could give a boost to productivity January 27, 2025 Analysts at the bank think that more expensive borrowing costs could force firms to employ resources more efficiently.
Forget the big infrastructure projects, SMEs are the key to unlocking growth January 15, 2025 Dear Chancellor, forget the big infrastructure projects. Boosting the productivity of SMEs is the key to growth, writes Paul Ormerod.
New labour force survey could be delayed to 2027 amid falling participation December 3, 2024 Since the pandemic, the ONS has struggled with falling response rates to its flagship labour force survey (LFS), which has raised questions over the accuracy of its data.
Office for Value for Money: Can more bureaucracy really improve productivity? November 13, 2024 Public sector productivity has remained the same for 25 years. Can more bureaucracy help it, Paul Ormerod asks.
Sir Martin Sorrell: Tax hikes risk hurting UK productivity October 29, 2024 The government’s potential tax hikes and changes to investment relief could drive capital abroad, discourage hiring and stymie productivity, former WPP chief Sir Martin Sorrell has warned ahead of tomorrow’s Autumn Statement.
Capital isn’t the issue – there aren’t enough UK projects to invest in October 16, 2024 My company is raring to invest billions into the economy, but there's nowhere for the money to go, writes Tracy Blackwell.