Policy area: Employment

Reports

Good growth: What, where, how?

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities focuses on good growth across the country. As the barriers to good growth vary across the country, local government – mayors and strategic authorities in particular – is best positioned to tailor interventions to local needs. Because of this, the devolution of powers and responsibilities that...

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More time, better pay: What current and prospective parents want from parental leave

This report from UK think take the Institute for Policy Research examines public attitudes towards parental leave reform through a survey of more than 2,500 people. The UK’s parental leave system offers relatively long maternity leave but much of it is poorly paid, while fathers and partners have very little well-paid leave of their own....

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Sharing the load: Costs and benefits of parental leave reform

This report from UK think tank the Institute for Policy Research discusses what a redesigned parental leave system might look like. The report discusses what a redesigned parental leave system might look like. Rather than focusing on individual elements of the system in isolation, the report argues that the government should look at maternity, paternity...

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No job for the centre – the case for devolving employment support

This report from UK think tank Re:State calls for the Government to scrap Jobcentre Plus and create a new model for employment support and benefits administration. Britain’s employment support system is failing the people who need it most. Its backbone – Jobcentre Plus – remains a highly centralised, one-size-fits-all institution, despite the importance of local...

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I don’t have a pension, really: Women restarting work after 50

This report from UK think tank the Policy Institute explores women's experiences of returning to employment later in life and rebuilding retirement security. Policies to extend working lives increasingly seek to support people over 50 to return to employment. Yet we know relatively little about the role of pensions in this return, especially for women...

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A new civil service performance management policy

This report from UK think tank Re:State provides a series of ready to implement productsthat can be used to rewire Whitehall. Re:State’s A New Civil Service Performance Management Policy argues that Whitehall’s approach to managing performance is too weak at dealing with persistent underperformance. Drawing on departmental policies obtained through FOI requests and Re:State’s 2025...

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Local labour market buoyancy holds the key to solving the UK’s NEET ‘crisis’

This report from UK think tank City-REDI examines the geographic inequalities in young people who are not in employment, education or training across the UK. This report argues that the UK's rising NEET rate is not just a youth skills or health issue, but a geographical and economic one, with large differences between local areas...

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Pay pals

This report from UK think tank Centre for Cities explores how other G7 countries address geography in minimum wage policy. The UK has one of the highest minimum wages in the OECD. The National Living Wage is now £12.71 an hour, meeting the Government’s target of two-thirds of median national earnings. In previous research we...

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Status critical

This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society explores why employment status is essential to making work pay. Employment status is high stakes. An individual’s employment status determines their rights and protections at work, as well as the requirements employers and engagers can make of their time. Yet identifying whether someone is an employee,...

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Working it out

This report from UK think tank Bright Blue proposes a new deal for the self-employed. The UK is currently home to 4.57 million self-employed: a number which has grown consistently over the past four decades. Yet, despite their growing numbers, the self-employed have access to a much poorer safety net than employees. This is even...

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Motherhood, inside out

This report from UK think tank Theos reveals Britain does not pay enough attention to the profound transformation that comes with becoming a mother. Motherhood, Inside Out explores the profound process of matrescence – the transition of becoming a mother. Like adolescence, matrescence is a period of far-reaching physical, emotional, psychological, social, political and spiritual...

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More than academia: Expanding career support for doctoral researchers

This report from UK think tank examines careers provisions available to UK PhD students. A new report published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) examines careers provisions available to UK PhD students. Supporting PhD students into a wide range of careers, both academic and non-academic will benefit the UK economy, in particular the research...

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Take a chance on me

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation explores how employers can be incentivised to employ NEETs. This briefing note considers how public policy can best incentivise employers to hire more young people in the UK today. We estimate the gross cost to the Exchequer of each additional full-time job created by a range...

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Evaluation of career coaching for young people at risk of being NEET

This report from UK think tank City-REDI evaluates career coaching for young people at risk of being NEET. PfPP2 provided career coaching and mentoring, group career readiness sessions and employer engagement for 102 young people identified at risk of becoming NEET(not in education, employment or training) in Year 10 in five East Birmingham secondary schools....

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Counting the cost: the economic impact of underserving women’s health

This report from UK think tank Re:State states that closing the gap on women's health isn't a cost the Government can avoid, but an investment it can't afford to skip. Re:State's new report, Counting the cost, makes the case for treating women's health as a core economic issue, not just as a niche health topic....

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Related Events

22 October 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: Centre for Cities

Good growth: What, where, how?

This event hosted by UK think tank Centre for Cities explores their new research on good growth, due to be published ahead of the event. The Prime Minister has committed to delivering “good growth in every postcode”. The UK Government’s conception of good growth combines stronger economic performance in every part of the country alongside...

22 October 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: The Henry Jackson Society

Will AI take your job?

This event hosted by UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society launches a report examining what the available evidence tells us about AI’s impact on the labour market . As AI becomes increasingly embedded across the economy, questions about its impact on jobs are moving rapidly from speculation to reality. This event will launch a...

4 November 2026

Location: Central Hall Westminster, Storey's Gate, London SW1H 9NH

Think tank: Power to Change

Westminster reception | Civic high street collective

This event hosted by UK think tank Power to Change celebrates the growing movement for the civic high street. The Civic High Street Collective brings partners together to champion a mixed-use, civic model where high streets are reimagined as places for local services, heritage and culture, community and housing. Across the country, there are inspiring examples...

9 November 2026

Location: Online / Resolution Foundation, 2 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AA

Think tank: Resolution Foundation

Work in progress

This event hosted by UK think tank the Resolution Foundation discusses whether changes in the labour market over the past decade have affected attitudes to work. The UK labour market has changed profoundly over the past decade. The introduction of the National Living Wage, the rise of the gig economy and the legacy of the...

12 November 2026

Location: Online

Think tank: HEPI

Invest now or pay later? The future of professional services in higher education

This event hosted by UK think tank HEPI discusses the future of professional services in higher education. HEPI is hosting a webinar on Thursday 12 November to explore the findings of The invisible majority (HEPI Report 205), a study of the professional and support staff who make up 56 per cent of the UK higher...

Related Articles

How can we create a fit-for-purpose labour market?

Government must do more to tackle insecure work in the UK By Rebecca Florisson (The Work Foundation) The recent Queen’s speech indicated that the much-anticipated Employment Bill has again been delayed. This Bill could have played an important role in addressing severely insecure work. Proposals to improve job quality and security as set out in...

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What does the next labour market crisis look like?

The coronavirus crisis means we are facing huge changes and disruption in the labour market but what are these likely to be and who will be most affected by them? Covid-19 has accelerated change for workers already facing disruption By Josh Abey (Fabian Society) Covid-19 has pulled the rug from underneath millions of workers and...

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