What do you use #ChatGPT for? Work, life, both? Do you conform to your age/sex/job stereotype? What uses are you missing out on? I'm a heavy user, but how do people use it for "Greetings and chitchat"? Do enlighten me. Absolutely fascinating paper: bit.ly/4neZ9dn #dataisbeautiful

Knew it! A fascinating, balanced, read. "The big picture is that the benefits of sunlight outweigh the risks—provided you don’t get sunburnt.” [I wish they'd said more about benefits of sun even if you are wearing SPF50 -- does it still count/help? Helps my mood, for sure!] bit.ly/4pxM00u

Enjoyed the wide-ranging (if early!) conversation with @felicityhannah.bsky.social, Lucy Coutts, and Michelle Laithwaite on BBC #WakeUpToMoney. Is the £150bn to be invested in the UK by US tech firms a big deal? I think we all agreed it was material and positive. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Wow, #NHS (and social care) #productivity has never been more important, as shown here by @theifs.bsky.social report bit.ly/4mhSzkN. A couple of good papers on this by @productivity.bsky.social, in comments. #NHSProductivityCommission #dataisbeautiful

Pleased to have contributed to this article on the cooling #labour #market (more complex than headlines about #AI or #vacancies suggest). Quit rates are down from around 1.3% to 0.8%, similar to pre-pandemic. Employers need to watch out for "quiet quitting" (see: bit.ly/3SUSrv3). bit.ly/4gpJpS1

Should the BoE remain worried about still-high #wage #growth in the UK? Probably yes. But there is some good news (from an #inflation perspective): wages are moderating relatively strongly particularly in consumer-facing sectors that tend to drive inflation more. #dataisbeautiful

Pleased to see that monthly #GDP got almost no coverage on Friday. Way more interesting are the long-term trends in, e.g., the sectoral statistics. This chart is one (important) illustration, when talking about things like #growth and #industrial strategy... #dataisbeautiful

Fascinating report / sales pitch from Google on where #AI / agents are delivering ROI. 70% of executives claim they are seeing productivity improvements from #AI. How come we see nothing in national productivity stats? Aka 'read with caution'. #dataisbeautiful bit.ly/3JS3eFq

Fascinating how little attention this data is getting: direct debit failure rates seem to be rising persistently, across all categories of payment. Is this a signal of increasing household financial distress or not really indicative of the big picture? Thoughts? #dataisbeautiful

Really enjoyed joining #WakeUpToMoney with Will Bain, Rachel Carrel, and Sunil Krishnan. Does the late budget date mean a) interminable speculation or b) careful preparation? And how can the Chx make the budget pro #growth while still balancing the books? Listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Let's remember that the story on #AI taking young graduates' jobs is a lot more nuanced. Latest job ads data actually suggests a recovery across the board but, yes, slightly less so for typical young, graduate occupations. [Could be seasonality, too.] #dataisbeautiful

‘Let us not risk getting trapped in the last war.’ My piece for @pbe.co.uk on why the wellbeing v GDP framing has run out of road pbe.co.uk/insights/bey...

The biggest driver of the cost of living crisis has been housing and utilities costs. Intriguingly, these have increased most for the lowest and highest income deciles (U-shaped curve). Electricity and gas big for the lowest decile, mortgage interest for the highest. #dataisbeautiful

📢 The £51bn case for improving children’s mental health 1 in 5 UK children aged 8–16 likely have a probable mental health condition (NHS Digital, 2023). Yet only 36% referred to NHS services are seen within 4 weeks. Thousands wait over 2 years. 1/5 New report: pbe.co.uk/publications...

Even on holiday, I continue to worry about UK #productivity. [Sad, I know.] These stats on investment flows failed to cheer me up, I'm afraid. On a per-capita or per-hour basis, we seem to be investing less, not more, in innovation, technology, and all-important housing. #dataisbeautiful

A good chance as August progresses to do some deeper reflection - and this blog piece by @teraallas.bsky.social CBE on the role of management in promoting good work - is great place to start: www.ifow.org/news-article...

I wanted to highlight some somewhat good news for once. As you'd expect, older people are much more likely to think they've done better than their parents, but even among younger people in Britain, a greater proportion "agree" than "disagree" with that statement. #socialmobility #dataisbeautiful

Today's #productivity release is sobering reading. Q2 2025 output per hour worked only up by 1.5% since 2019, and down by 0.8% from a year ago. Good to see the positive contributions (to Q1 2025) from many #industrial #strategy sectors - but #health sector is huge concern. #dataisbeautiful

Was delighted to have the honour of guest editing the @resfoundation.bsky.social TOTC. Do read and sign up for future editions, too!

For this week's TOTC, @teraallas.bsky.social has stepped in as guest editor - pondering productivity, wellbeing and... our potential future robot overlords? COTW assesses how disposable incomes are related to healthy life expectancy around the UK ⤵️ buff.ly/uVgwqS3

Interesting and informative explainer from @McKinsey on data centers. And good contextual data from the IEA: "Data centre electricity demand growth accounts for less than 10% of global electricity demand growth between 2024 and 2030 ". #dataisbeautiful mck.co/46LXmXS

Another delightful BBC5 Live #WakeUpToMoney with Felicity Hannah, Geoffrey Yu, and Scarlett Allen-Horton, discussing impact of #tariffs on markets and how the enormous investments by big tech in #AI are not a monolithic thing but lots of different approaches. Listen here: bbc.in/46BD0jX

Delighted go see our SME Digital Adoption Taskforce report published, alongside the government's Small Business Plan. We want to see UK SMEs become the most digitally capable and AI confident in the G7 by 2035 and have set out ten recommendations to help achieve this. Read it here: bit.ly/4lZ2jBe

Dear @ONS, what is this? What is the % on the Y-axis (year on year growth? quarter on quarter growth?). And why is the text all about "business investment", not GDP? This is more confusing than it is helpful, I'm sorry to say. #dataisbeautiful

UK #productivity growth in the #public #sector - especially in #health and public admin - has been poor in recent years. Read how #data, #digital, and #AI _could_ change this, but only with the right prioritisation and leadership (Chapter 14): bit.ly/3Uc3ssL #dataisbeautiful

With all the noise about #AI taking graduates' jobs, this chart surprised me: nearly 30% of young graduates work in low-skill, low-paid occupations (mostly much less exposed to AI). Read the full research here: bit.ly/450jtbv #dataisbeautiful

Is #AI taking away new graduates' #jobs? The story is much more nuanced, with all graduates and all young people impacted, and not all impacts attributable to AI. Read our research here: bit.ly/450jtbv #dataisbeautiful

There are plenty of opportunities to use #data, #digital, and #AI to boost #public #sector #productivity. The barriers are known, and reflect a lack of prioritisation and people-centricity. Read about this and other pro-productivity policies by NIESR and The Productivity Institute: bit.ly/3TGLDSA

If you missed it last week, check out the NIESR and The Productivity Institute joint publication Joining Up Pro-Productivity Policies in the UK bit.ly/3TGLDSA where I contributed a piece on better using #data, #digital, and #AI for improved #public #sector #productivity.

It's not that often that I get to combine some of my many hats (at PBE and The Productivity Institute), so I was particularly pleased to write this blog for the Institute for the Future of Work, on the impact of management practices on both #productivity and #good #work: bit.ly/4eR5OqI

Really pleased to see our research on impact of #AI on UK #labour markets published. AI-exposed jobs have seen the biggest drop in vacancies. But the story is more nuanced. There are many forces at work, making young graduates' job market particularly challenging. #dataisbeautiful bit.ly/450jtbv

Great to see our research on #AI and the #labour market cited by Irina Anghel at Bloomberg. The article has an interactive infographic, where you can hover over data points to see more. Our slightly broader research piece will be out later today. Bloomberg article here: bit.ly/3GCbpoc

#Weekend Reading🔖 Our new publication with the @productivity.bsky.social The UK needs to translate its plans for long-term economic growth into a clear set of priorities in order to reverse current trends and end the 15 years of poor #productivity it has experienced ⬇️

On Tuesday we're launching our Good Work Monitor - a unique tool that tracks productivity and six dimensions of good work across all 203 local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland. Join us for a launch webinar, with @teraallas.bsky.social and @fhpitts.bsky.social www.ifow.org/event/gettin...

Important insights on #AI and the labour market by Svenja Gudell, chief economist of Indeed, in an interview with Brooke Weddle, Bryan Hancock, and Lucia Rahilly. Most of these apply equally in the UK, even though magnitudes may be different. bit.ly/4643DxB

Packing dilemma: how many pink/purple sweaters will I need? [No, this is not all of them. Yes, I will take some other colours, too.]

Next Tuesday we are launching the 2025 release of our Good Work Monitor - which tracks both productivity and access to good work across 6 dimensions in all 203 local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. We're hosting a midday webinar with an expert panel: www.eventbrite.com/e/getting-br...

While #AI probably _is_ having an impact on the UK #labour #market, the story is much more nuanced than the one you hear in most media. Vacancies have come down significantly across the board, and not obviously more so in sectors most exposed to AI. #dataisbeautiful

#AI usage is growing exponentially, right? Well, lots probably _is_ happening behind the scenes, but only about 20% of UK businesses say they are using AI, and adoption rates among the larger (250+ employees) group seem to have slowed down. #dataisbeautiful

ESCoE Conference 2025 highlights🎥 Full video: tinyurl.com/yjb6bcjz Catch up on session recordings: tinyurl.com/3zdnky3c @joshmartinecon.bsky.social @grantfitzner.bsky.social @chrisgiles.ft.com @teraallas.bsky.social @kingsbschool.bsky.social

Really pleased to have my article on the government's #industrial #strategy published by the Civil Service World. The strategy scores well against my "4S" framework, but the real proof, and impact, will be in the implementation. bit.ly/40v4lQM

Most businesses improve their #management practices and #productivity, but also face some barriers in doing so. But a small cohort of poorly managed firms say they don't face barriers but still "did nothing" to improve! Curious - would love your thoughts. #dataisbeautiful

How to survive the #heatwave? A key hack is the reverse hot water bottle. Fill plastic bottle 2/3rds full water, freeze, wrap in a tea towel, and use it to stay cool! Take it with you when travelling or hug it at night for better sleep.

Lots of news about the labour market slackening, especially for entry level and graduate jobs. But is it due to #AI or #LLMs? The data certainly suggests that job adverts (vacancies) have declined most for occupations most exposed to LLMs. #dataisbeautiful

The #OBR will likely downgrade its forecast for 2026 #GDP #growth around the Autumn Budget. But by how much? Well, at 1.9% it's a real outlier relative to independent forecasters' latest take of 1.1%. #dataisbeautiful

I can’t get over how live-changing ChatGPT is for a curious person. Google _never_ felt joyful. Learning (about anything) with ChatGPT is. Sure, I’m fooled by its blatant flattery, but who cares? Maybe authenticity is over-rated. If you know of any studies on this, let me know!

UK consumers' consumption patterns changed little between 2019 and 2024, but one thing did change drastically: households spend a lot less money on work-related items, such as commuting or canteens. Read the full article here: bit.ly/3TaMVVC #dataisbeautiful

Delighted to publish this analysis of UK #consumers with my colleague Jessica Moulton. In an era defined by disruption, the biggest surprise in UK consumer behaviour is how little has changed. The one big shift? Home comforts. #dataisbeautiful Read it here: bit.ly/3TaMVVC

Free event: Economics to improve lives Join us next Thursday, 09:30 - 11:45 in London/online to explore how wellbeing can shape better govt decisions. Hear from Heather Stewart, @joswinson.bsky.social, Jon Franklin, Sufina Ahmad MBE and @teraallas.bsky.social Sign up: pbe.co.uk/event/econom...

The government’s new #industrial #strategy is out. We'll have to wait and see how transformative the interventions will be—but it's encouraging to see a genuinely whole-of-government framework, with a clear effort to align policy levers across departments. www.gov.uk/government/p...