Alex Collinson
@alexcollinson.bsky.social
Research and analysis officer at the TUC.
very funny but bizarre to complain about social media and technology making people more disconnected while also secretly filming strangers and putting the videos online in an attempt to get followers.
November 5, 2025 at 5:56 PM
very funny but bizarre to complain about social media and technology making people more disconnected while also secretly filming strangers and putting the videos online in an attempt to get followers.
New Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) out this morning.
Pay growth over the past year highest among lowest earners (likely due to min wage rises) and highest earners (some big pay growth in finance industry this year). Median real pay growth at 1.3%.
Pay growth over the past year highest among lowest earners (likely due to min wage rises) and highest earners (some big pay growth in finance industry this year). Median real pay growth at 1.3%.
October 23, 2025 at 9:07 AM
New Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) out this morning.
Pay growth over the past year highest among lowest earners (likely due to min wage rises) and highest earners (some big pay growth in finance industry this year). Median real pay growth at 1.3%.
Pay growth over the past year highest among lowest earners (likely due to min wage rises) and highest earners (some big pay growth in finance industry this year). Median real pay growth at 1.3%.
Cafe near the office has celebrity quotes along the window and I feel like there’s a real vibe shift by the time you get to the third one.
October 14, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Cafe near the office has celebrity quotes along the window and I feel like there’s a real vibe shift by the time you get to the third one.
A reminder that we're only just out of a 16-year real pay crisis.
Real average weekly pay (pay once you take inflation into account) only returned to it's 2008 level last year. Even now, we're only £9p/w above it.
Real weekly pay would be £298 higher if it had grown at pre-crisis rates since 2008.
Real average weekly pay (pay once you take inflation into account) only returned to it's 2008 level last year. Even now, we're only £9p/w above it.
Real weekly pay would be £298 higher if it had grown at pre-crisis rates since 2008.
October 9, 2025 at 11:05 AM
A reminder that we're only just out of a 16-year real pay crisis.
Real average weekly pay (pay once you take inflation into account) only returned to it's 2008 level last year. Even now, we're only £9p/w above it.
Real weekly pay would be £298 higher if it had grown at pre-crisis rates since 2008.
Real average weekly pay (pay once you take inflation into account) only returned to it's 2008 level last year. Even now, we're only £9p/w above it.
Real weekly pay would be £298 higher if it had grown at pre-crisis rates since 2008.
Reading Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
October 6, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reading Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
A bit intense for the side of a takeaway coffee cup.
September 23, 2025 at 12:23 PM
A bit intense for the side of a takeaway coffee cup.
Unsurprising to see City AM being against a wealth tax, but a bit surprising to see the editor using income tax stats to make a point about a wealth tax.
July 8, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Unsurprising to see City AM being against a wealth tax, but a bit surprising to see the editor using income tax stats to make a point about a wealth tax.
Thought this was a good, interesting article on the wealth ‘exodus’ and some of the dodgy data and reports around it. But odd to see this line on supporters of wealth taxes. Polling showing widespread support for wealth taxes across the political spectrum.
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ju...
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ju...
July 7, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Thought this was a good, interesting article on the wealth ‘exodus’ and some of the dodgy data and reports around it. But odd to see this line on supporters of wealth taxes. Polling showing widespread support for wealth taxes across the political spectrum.
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ju...
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ju...
Inequality in healthy life expectancy even starker. Women and men living in the least deprived areas can expect to live almost two decades longer in “good” health than those living in the most deprived areas.
July 4, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Inequality in healthy life expectancy even starker. Women and men living in the least deprived areas can expect to live almost two decades longer in “good” health than those living in the most deprived areas.
a bit harsh from the Dice app.
May 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
a bit harsh from the Dice app.
Two things:
1. Over half of employees get full pay as usual when off sick. Is the assumption that they are all constantly skiving?
2. Is it "skiving" or is it a small improvement to statutory sick pay that will allow employees on SSP to take time off and recover (& not spread illness) when ill?
1. Over half of employees get full pay as usual when off sick. Is the assumption that they are all constantly skiving?
2. Is it "skiving" or is it a small improvement to statutory sick pay that will allow employees on SSP to take time off and recover (& not spread illness) when ill?
May 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Two things:
1. Over half of employees get full pay as usual when off sick. Is the assumption that they are all constantly skiving?
2. Is it "skiving" or is it a small improvement to statutory sick pay that will allow employees on SSP to take time off and recover (& not spread illness) when ill?
1. Over half of employees get full pay as usual when off sick. Is the assumption that they are all constantly skiving?
2. Is it "skiving" or is it a small improvement to statutory sick pay that will allow employees on SSP to take time off and recover (& not spread illness) when ill?
Here's the annual change in number of vacancies for all industries and the three industries with the biggest drops in number of vacancies in most recent data.
Bit noisy, but most recent month clearly not showing a big change that you could use to make conclusions on, for e.g., minimum wage rise.
Bit noisy, but most recent month clearly not showing a big change that you could use to make conclusions on, for e.g., minimum wage rise.
May 13, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Here's the annual change in number of vacancies for all industries and the three industries with the biggest drops in number of vacancies in most recent data.
Bit noisy, but most recent month clearly not showing a big change that you could use to make conclusions on, for e.g., minimum wage rise.
Bit noisy, but most recent month clearly not showing a big change that you could use to make conclusions on, for e.g., minimum wage rise.
A similar trend when you look at labour share of income (the proportion of national income that is received by workers), where it's nowadays pretty consistent year-to-year, but is around 10 percentage points lower than it was in the '50s and '60s. A chart taken straight from ONS:
May 6, 2025 at 1:06 PM
A similar trend when you look at labour share of income (the proportion of national income that is received by workers), where it's nowadays pretty consistent year-to-year, but is around 10 percentage points lower than it was in the '50s and '60s. A chart taken straight from ONS:
Latest income inequality data was out on Friday. Main thing I always think about the data is that while there's interesting bits in year-to-year stuff, you have to pay attention to wider context: a hefty rise in inequality in the 1980s that's persisted since.
May 6, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Latest income inequality data was out on Friday. Main thing I always think about the data is that while there's interesting bits in year-to-year stuff, you have to pay attention to wider context: a hefty rise in inequality in the 1980s that's persisted since.
Latest wages v private rent inflation data.
Private rents have been rising faster than wages for past year and a half and continue to do so.
In latest month with data for both (Dec 2024), private rents went up by 9%, 3 percentage points higher than wages.
Private rents have been rising faster than wages for past year and a half and continue to do so.
In latest month with data for both (Dec 2024), private rents went up by 9%, 3 percentage points higher than wages.
February 19, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Latest wages v private rent inflation data.
Private rents have been rising faster than wages for past year and a half and continue to do so.
In latest month with data for both (Dec 2024), private rents went up by 9%, 3 percentage points higher than wages.
Private rents have been rising faster than wages for past year and a half and continue to do so.
In latest month with data for both (Dec 2024), private rents went up by 9%, 3 percentage points higher than wages.
Some context on strong real pay figures.
Today's new data shows real weekly pay up by 3.4%, which is good.
The recent strong growth comes after the longest pay squeeze in living memory - real weekly wages are still only just above 2008 levels.
Strong real pay growth much needed.
Today's new data shows real weekly pay up by 3.4%, which is good.
The recent strong growth comes after the longest pay squeeze in living memory - real weekly wages are still only just above 2008 levels.
Strong real pay growth much needed.
February 18, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Some context on strong real pay figures.
Today's new data shows real weekly pay up by 3.4%, which is good.
The recent strong growth comes after the longest pay squeeze in living memory - real weekly wages are still only just above 2008 levels.
Strong real pay growth much needed.
Today's new data shows real weekly pay up by 3.4%, which is good.
The recent strong growth comes after the longest pay squeeze in living memory - real weekly wages are still only just above 2008 levels.
Strong real pay growth much needed.
Thank god. Ridiculous that this guy was expected to live off just £4.9m last year.
February 14, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Thank god. Ridiculous that this guy was expected to live off just £4.9m last year.
excited to be verified as human by the website that sells trainers
January 31, 2025 at 12:30 PM
excited to be verified as human by the website that sells trainers
A couple of interesting bits from this mornings new wealth data: the top 10% of households have more financial wealth than the other 90% combined.
And there's an interesting section on wealth being a lot more unequally distributed than income (which itself is far from equally distributed).
And there's an interesting section on wealth being a lot more unequally distributed than income (which itself is far from equally distributed).
January 24, 2025 at 1:50 PM
A couple of interesting bits from this mornings new wealth data: the top 10% of households have more financial wealth than the other 90% combined.
And there's an interesting section on wealth being a lot more unequally distributed than income (which itself is far from equally distributed).
And there's an interesting section on wealth being a lot more unequally distributed than income (which itself is far from equally distributed).
The government’s own modelling shows that a higher replacement doesn’t particularly push up business costs.
The difference in cost per employee between the 60% and 80% replacement rates is £1.
The difference in cost per employee between the 60% and 80% replacement rates is £1.
January 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM
The government’s own modelling shows that a higher replacement doesn’t particularly push up business costs.
The difference in cost per employee between the 60% and 80% replacement rates is £1.
The difference in cost per employee between the 60% and 80% replacement rates is £1.
And a low replacement rate means the tipping point into worse off is earlier. Here’s an example scenario of an employee earnings £125
January 13, 2025 at 12:09 PM
And a low replacement rate means the tipping point into worse off is earlier. Here’s an example scenario of an employee earnings £125
A man of culture.
January 3, 2025 at 10:17 PM
A man of culture.
Highlight of the first traitors episode was obviously the fake welsh accent, but close second is the ex-soldier referring to an early task as the most brutal thing ever.
January 2, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Highlight of the first traitors episode was obviously the fake welsh accent, but close second is the ex-soldier referring to an early task as the most brutal thing ever.