Why society needs older workers

30 June 2020
Labour Market

Why society needs older workers

Professor Len Shackleton writes for No Desire To Retire

The attitude to older people in the Covid-19 pandemic has been far too negative; many make a massive contribution, writes the IEA's Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton. Writing for No Desire To Retire, Len argues the as the population continues to age, and the cost of state pensions and elder care increases, we ... Continue reading
30 June 2020
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Extending the furlough scheme would hinder London’s recovery, not help it

25 June 2020
Labour Market

Extending the furlough scheme would hinder London’s recovery, not help it

Len Shackleton writes for City AM

Warning of a “looming unemployment crisis”, Sadiq Khan this week made an appeal for a further extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), under which more than a million Londoners have been furloughed. His concern for London jobs is understandable. But it would be wrong to continue the scheme beyond October, writes IEA Editorial ... Continue reading
25 June 2020
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Covid-19 won’t kill the office

23 June 2020
Labour Market

Covid-19 won’t kill the office

Annabel Denham writes for The Spectator

The rapidity and willingness with which workers have adopted and adapted to remote working has led some to hail a home-working revolution. But there are convincing reasons why the office won’t be another Covid casualty, writes IEA Director of Communications Annabel Denham in The Spectator. First, as Professor Len Shackleton explained in his recent briefing ... Continue reading
23 June 2020
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ONS labour market data “the calm before the storm,” says Professor Len Shackleton

16 June 2020
Labour Market

ONS labour market data “the calm before the storm,” says Professor Len Shackleton

Responding to today's Office for National Statistics employment figures, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton said: “This morning’s data show little change in the employment or unemployment rates, though the number in work has fallen sharply, particularly amongst the self-employed. This is the calm before the real storm which we can expect when ... Continue reading
16 June 2020
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Cut taxes to support employment

13 June 2020
Labour Market

Cut taxes to support employment

Professor Len Shackleton quoted in The Telegraph

Professor Len Shackleton, Editorial and Research Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, has told The Telegraph that the key is cutting taxes to support jobs. He said: “Short-term measures should include reducing employment costs - so suspend employers’ national insurance, scrap the apprenticeship levy, and change rules on pension auto enrolment to match the national ... Continue reading
13 June 2020
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More cash won’t fix our broken childcare sector, says Professor Len Shackleton

4 June 2020
Labour Market

More cash won’t fix our broken childcare sector, says Professor Len Shackleton

Responding to the TUC's call for an "urgent bailout" of the childcare sector, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton said: "Government involvement in childcare is ​an expensive melange of ill-thought-out, virtue-signalling policies. "Subsidies cost the taxpayer ​at least £6bn per year, yet parents pay on average three times more than those in France or Germany. "We currently get the worst ... Continue reading
4 June 2020
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The Prime Minister’s commitment to provide guaranteed apprenticeships to young people is “foolish”, says IEA expert

4 June 2020
Labour Market

The Prime Minister’s commitment to provide guaranteed apprenticeships to young people is “foolish”, says IEA expert

Responding to the Prime Minister's pledge to guarantee apprenticeships to young people post-pandemic, IEA Editorial and Research Fellow Professor Len Shackleton said: "Boris Johnson’s commitment to provide guaranteed apprenticeships to young people is foolish. "No government can guarantee the sort of high-quality apprenticeship that Mr Johnson seems to have in mind. Many governments have tried unsuccessfully over the ... Continue reading
4 June 2020
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It would be “an act of self-sabotage” to ramp up regulation post-pandemic

3 June 2020
Labour Market

It would be “an act of self-sabotage” to ramp up regulation post-pandemic

Annabel Denham writes for City AM

The Resolution Foundation released a report this week, arguing that we need more regulation and a 'post-pandemic settlement' to protect low-paid workers. But as the IEA's Director of Communications Annabel Denham argues in a debate column for the City AM, if we are to recover quickly from the current economic downturn, it's "time to loosen ... Continue reading
3 June 2020
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Redundancies will follow changes to the furlough scheme

29 May 2020
Labour Market

Redundancies will follow changes to the furlough scheme

Professor Len Shackleton quoted in The Sun

Redundancies will follow "pretty quickly" after changes to the coronavirus job retention scheme as businesses have to face the reality of lower customer numbers says Professor Len Shackleton, Editorial and Research Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs. Quoted in The Sun newsetter Professor Shackleton said "It seems likely that the only way to avoid ... Continue reading
29 May 2020
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TUC approach to economic recovery would “almost guarantee no recovery at all”

21 May 2020
Labour Market

TUC approach to economic recovery would “almost guarantee no recovery at all”

Len Shackleton quoted by City AM

Responding to a report released by the TUC calling for the creation of a national recovery council, the IEA's Editorial and Research Fellow Len Shackleton warned that their approach would “almost guarantee no recovery at all”. Quoted by City AM, Len said: "Until Covid-19 hit, the UK’s labour market was at its most successful in decades ... Continue reading
21 May 2020
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