📈 Higher standards in the labour market will have a hugely positive impact on workers, and the economy as a whole.

We look forward to seeing the results from this initial 'Vanguard period'.

You can read our research with Scope in full here: www.jrf.org.uk/work/unlocki...

The Mayfield Review’s focus on ways employers could do more, and the savings and productivity gains this could generate, is absolutely right.

🔏 Employers have an important and undervalued role to play in the health and security of workers.

Full report: www.gov.uk/government/p...

3) Support this with evidence to guide financial, operational, legal and cultural improvements needed in the employment space.

As our research with disability charity Scope concluded, Govt must focus on the root causes holding people who are disabled or have a health condition back from work.

1) Establish a Healthy Working Lifecycle standard, so employers and employees can improve health, prevent job exits & boost inclusion of disabled people in work.

2) Build a new Workplace Health Provision service to support employers/employees with this.

And 3) (cont. 🔽)

Mayfield doesn’t have all the answers yet, but he sets out the key changes needed in the employment space over the next 7 years.

This starts with a 3 year ‘Vanguard period’ where leading employers can try new methods, develop and build evidence.

He suggests three approaches 👇

🔁 We need to move away from a system that is bad for those paying in, bad for growth and bad for funding public services.

In our latest comment piece, our Chief Economist @chrisbelfield.bsky.social looks at why change is so urgently needed.

Read more 🔽

www.jrf.org.uk/cost-of-livi...

📈 Taxes fund our public services, including our social security system, so a more efficient system will lead to better investment for the benefit of everyone.

But it is also crucial that these taxes are raised in a way that is efficient, fair and progressive.

Our tax system currently applies different tax rates to different income sources.

🔎 This creates incentives to focus on activities that attract lower rates, rather than the most economically productive.

Fixing this has the potential to increase efficiency and grow the economy.

💼 It examines seven different reforms available to the Chancellor at the Budget on 26 November and beyond.

Each option aims to create a tax regime that is simpler, fairer and more supportive of growth and investment.

Co-authors of the paper included our Chief Economist @chrisbelfield.bsky.social alongside @cps.org.uk @adamsmith.org @ippr.org @neweconomics.bsky.social @brightblueuk.bsky.social @labourtogether.bsky.social and @danneidle.bsky.social

That's why it's vital that the government commits to unfreezing LHA at the Budget later this month.

Otherwise, renters face being pushed into greater hardship.

📍 If Labour is serious about tackling homelessness and poverty, it must also permanently re-link LHA to local rents.

📈 Since then, private rents are up by around 20% on average, as this chart from Lead Analyst @jelliott94.bsky.social sets out.

Our cost of living tracker also showed more than 3/4 of low-income private renters receiving LHA in the last year went without essentials.

bsky.app/profile/jell...

Deprivation isn’t only a rural or coastal issue. Some larger cities - Manchester, Birmingham & London - see high levels of deprivation too - driven by high housing costs and high levels of insecure work and low pay.

Wherever you live should not affect your chances in life -but this is not the case.

Weak labour markets and low wages drive high deprivation in these areas.

While housing costs tend to be lower, the quality of housing can be much poorer.

🏠For example, 1 in 4 (25%) homes in Blackpool and 1 in 5 (21%) homes in Hastings are of poor quality.