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Learning to level up

The role of skills in tackling job insecurity through Brexit and Covid-19

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The Work Foundation is the leading think tank for improving work in the UK. We have been an authoritative, independent source of ideas and analysis on the labour market and the wider economy for over a hundred years.

COVID lockdowns: spring will see finances hit as economic impact kicks in

This week, the Work Foundation’s Policy Adviser Rebecca Florisson and Lancaster University’s Dr. Joe Deville collaborated on an article in the Conversation on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on workers’ financial and mental health implications.

A new year, a new lockdown, and many workers face heightened financial insecurity

A new national lockdown was introduced at the new year, to stem the tide of spiralling cases of Covid-19. As previously the case, the lockdown will see sectors of the economy grind to a halt. This will cause many people to suffer renewed financial pressure.

What are the implications of the new immigration system for UK labour supply?

New measures mean rules and thresholds will now determine whether EU nationals can live and work in the UK, putting many in direct competition with workers from the rest of the world.

Post-Brexit labour supply and workforce planning

After 47 years, freedom of movement with Europe is coming to an end. This transformational change will take place at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause substantial disruption to economies all across the globe,

Downturn in workers' mental and financial wellbeing during Covid-19

The longer this crisis goes on, the more likely it becomes that increasing numbers of workers will experience financial hardship, and therefore even larger impacts on their mental wellbeing too.

Learning to level up: supporting parents on low incomes to access training opportunities

This blog explores our recent research into training and adult education, setting out how policymakers can ensure that there is support for low-income parents to access these initiatives.

Learning to Level Up: The role of skills in tackling job insecurity through Brexit and Covid-19

Worker insecurity has been accelerated through the COVID-19 jobs crisis. Hundreds of thousands of workers have lost their job or seen their hours decrease, and the sectors most affected by the pandemic have a high proportion of workers in lower skilled occupations, often working under insecure terms.

Today’s labour market figures indicate tough time ahead for young workers

Redundancies have reached a record high, unemployment among young people has steeply risen, and vacancy levels, though temporarily increasing in the short time frame before new restrictions were introduced, remain below 2019 levels.

The COVID-19 Economic Response: is the Government moving beyond short-term thinking?

With a shift beyond short-term measures, the Chancellor announced that the Job Retention Scheme will be extended into March 2021. As before, the scheme will pay up to 80% of a worker’s wages,