UK risks ‘jobless generation’ as retail hiring plummets Retail A leading industry body has warned the UK faces a “jobless generation” as the number of jobs in retail fell to a record low. There were 2.8m retail jobs in 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics’ four-quarter average, which smooths out seasonal variations in hiring, which is 383,000 fewer than in 2015. The [...]
Nine in ten hospitality job switchers quit the sector Hospitality Nine in ten workers in hospitality and tourism quit the sector altogether when they switch jobs, as the hiring “churn” drives costs and dampens the industry’s productivity. As many as 87 per cent of hospitality and tourism workers who quit jobs end up leaving the industry for good, while the exit rate stands at 82 [...]
When a Building Reminds You Why You Love Your Job Destination City Every so often, a project comes along that captures the essence of why working in and for a great city is such a privilege. The opening of the new hub by Premier Inn by Whitbread in Farringdon at the Old Bailey is one of those moments that we now encounter quite frequently in the City, [...]
Starmer sticks to youth minimum wage pledge despite jobs fears February 18, 2026 The government will stick to the Labour party’s manifesto commitment to equalise the minimum wage despite speculation it would row back on the pledge over unemployment fears, the Prime Minister has said. Speaking on Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer said: “We’ve made commitments to young people in our manifesto, and we will keep to those commitments, [...]
The £6bn boost to the economy from getting 50-64-year-olds back to work October 22, 2025 There are roughly 1m people between age 50 and state pension age who say they want or need to keep working but are facing a range of obstacles, says Catherine Foot As the UK awaits the findings of the Keep Britain Working Review which is looking to address economic inactivity due to ill-health and disability, [...]
When it comes to work, Britain has an attitude problem October 8, 2025 It's not rocket science that more growth requires more workers, so why is our government burying its head in the sand, asks Emma Revell.
If Pat McFadden wants to get Britain back to work, business has the answers September 9, 2025 The new work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, should look to the City for ideas on getting 9m adults back into work, says Matthew Elliott Britain’s growth problem is evident to everyone. Since the global financial crisis of 2008, GDP per capita has expanded at barely half a per cent a year – a fraction [...]
1,000 days of ChatGPT: How has work changed? August 26, 2025 1,000 days on from the launch of ChatGPT, Henrik Landgren asks what has changes, and what's next, for the white collar workforce
The Debate: Should UK businesses follow Europe’s August shutdown tradition? July 30, 2025 The French (supposedly) do it, so why not us? We get two writers to weigh up the pros and cons of the August shutdown in this week's debate.
Spring Statement 2025: Workers’ rights bill ‘net negative’ for economy, OBR says March 26, 2025 The government’s workers’ rights bill will “probably [have] net negative economic impacts”, the independent fiscal watchdog has said. Labour unveiled their workers’ rights package – the Employment Rights Bill – last year, and measures were hailed by unions as “common sense” reforms for a “fairer economy”. But according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), [...]