Next in our preview of 2026 is our Director @benrharrison.bsky.social who believes a focus on tackling unemployment is likely to be high on the political agenda this year. Read all our key policy areas to look out for in the world of work: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

In our preview of 2026, @alicepmartin.bsky.social (Head of Research) suggests the introduction of the Fair Work Agency - an agency on the side of workers - will be a key moment of the year. Read all our key policy areas to look out for in the world of work: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

EVENT: Join us on Thurs 26 Feb 2026 to review the latest figures on young people not in education, employment or training, and discuss what it means. Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/work-matte...

2025 has been a big year in the world of work and for the Work Foundation at Lancaster University. On behalf of everyone at the Work Foundation, we wish you a Happy New Year and look forward to working with you in 2026.

As we approach 2026, analysis shows workers managing a health condition/disability are less likely to have access to flexible work and we are urging employers to adopt flexible working arrangements ahead of proposed Employment Right Act changes in 2027: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

EVENT: Join us on Tuesday 27 January 2026 to explore the key Employment Rights Bill changes coming up in 2026. Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/getting-re...

As 2025 draws to a close, we asked our team members to review their key moment from the world of work and the labour market. It has been a big year for employment rights, welfare reform and the labour market. So what did they choose? (1/6) Read: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Will 2026 be the year that work gets better? With the cost of living still high and job vacancies continuing to shrink, the UK is emerging from a difficult year for workers. @alicepmartin.bsky.social reflects on 2026 could mean for workers in @bigissue.com: www.bigissue.com/opinion/empl...

Our Director, @BRHarrison_, has commented on the Employment Rights Act becoming law: “Passing the new Employment Rights Act into law is a critical milestone for employment reform in the UK and will better align our key employment laws with international standards. (1/5) www.gov.uk/government/n...

Comment from our Director, @benrharrison.bsky.social, on the passing of the Employment Rights Bill in the House of Lords⬇️ “Ending the Parliamentary impasse on the Employment Rights Bill is a critical moment for UK workers. (1/5)

Comment from our Director, @BRHarrison_, on the latest labour market statistics from the ONS ⬇️ “The UK labour market is continuing to lose momentum. Rising unemployment, falling vacancies and weak real wage growth all provide troubling signs for workers and jobseekers as we head towards 2026. (1/9)

Today, @benrharrison.bsky.social (Director, Work Foundation at Lancaster University) issued a statement on Government's latest announcement on the £820 million youth participation package, including a new Youth Guarantee. www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Our #ResearchOfTheMonth goes to @learnworkuk.bsky.social for their research exploring the impact of skills training on career progression prospects. (1/5) learningandwork.org.uk/resources/re... Authors: Sravanthi Vempalli, Lovedeep Vaid, Aaron Revel, @stephenevans.bsky.social.

Comment from our Director, @benrharrison.bsky.social, on the Department for Business and Trade announcement on unfair dismissal elements of the Employment Rights Bill: “Ending the Parliamentary log jam on the Employment Rights Bill is a positive step... (1/7)

Yesterday, we welcomed the announcement of £820m to support young people into work. But @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social warned of a risk the "Youth Guarantee will be too blunt an instrument" to support young people employment - featuring in this @BBCNews article: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Comment from our Director, @benrharrison.bsky.social, on the Chancellor's Autumn Budget ⬇️ “It is welcome the Chancellor has attempted to bear down on cost of living pressures facing millions of UK workers while taking action to boost the economy. (1/7)

After months of speculation, the Chancellor will step up to deliver the Budget Statement tomorrow. @benrharrison.bsky.social explores the key steps the Chancellor can take to improve working lives and living standards during the remainder of the Parliament: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

When the Chancellor delivers the Autumn Budget on 26 Nov, she will do so at a time of a slowing labour market & against a backdrop of deep political & economic uncertainty. @benrharrison.bsky.social explores the challenges and opportunities facing the Chancellor: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

As the Government prepares for the Autumn Budget, Jon Fitzmaurice looks back at our #WorkMatters discussion with @helenbarnard.bsky.social, @duncanweldon.bsky.social & Suren Thiru and asks whether the ‘smorgasbord’ approach will kick start economic renewal? www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

The latest release from the ONS showed that 946,000 young people aged 16-24 were not in education, employment or training. Our Principal Analyst, @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social, commented on the latest stats. See full statement here: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Comment from our Principal Analyst @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social on the latest CPI inflation release from the ONS ⬇️ “The rate of CPI inflation has dropped to 3.6%. This could indicate we’re past the worst of the recent inflationary surge and may boost hopes of faster interest rate cuts. (1/5)

WORK MATTERS: Join us on Wednesday between 14.00-15.00 to discuss what the labour market & inflation statistics mean for the decisions facing the Government at the Autumn Budget feat @duncanweldon.bsky.social, @helenbarnard.bsky.social & Suren Thiru. Sign-up: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/work-matte...

The latest labour market statistics from the ONS indicate the UK jobs market is losing momentum as unemployment rises to a four year high. @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social explores the latest data in this article, including the rise of zero-hour contracts: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Today, @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social (Principal Analyst) responded to the latest zero-hour figures from @ONS: "The number of people on zero-hour contracts continues its upward rise to near record levels. There are now 1.2 million people on zero-hour contracts, the second highest on record." (1/2)

Comment from our Director, @benrharrison.bsky.social, on the latest release from the ONS:⬇️ "As unemployment in the UK continues to creep upwards, today’s data underlines the importance of the Chancellor using the Autumn Budget to address the long-term labour market challenges... (1/10)

ONLINE EVENT: Join us next Wednesday between 14.00-15.00 to discuss what the labour market & inflation statistics mean for the decisions facing the Government at the Autumn Budget feat @duncanweldon.bsky.social, @helenbarnard.bsky.social & Suren Thiru. Sign-up: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/work-matte...

The Keep Britain Working Review has published its final report, setting out how to overhaul the role of employers in supporting workers to remain in work when they fall ill. @benrharrison.bsky.social and @alicepmartin.bsky.social respond to the review's findings: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Comment from our Director @benrharrison.bsky.social and Research and Policy Analyst @aman93.bsky.social on the latest release of data on the employment of disabled people from the DWP:

🏆Our #ResearchOfTheMonth goes to @city-redi.bsky.social at @unibirmingham.bsky.social for 'Understanding the UK’s Rise in Economic Inactivity Since 2020'. It explores the uneven rise, with rural areas & peripheral towns recording largest increases. (1/5) Read: www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/cen...

Join us next Tuesday to discuss the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill with @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social, @benrharrison.bsky.social, Shazia Ejaz from @recmembers.bsky.social, @katenightingale.bsky.social from @youngwomenstrust.bsky.social and Lord John Hendy from @ieruk.bsky.social.

Today, the House of Lords will consider amendments to the Government’s Employment Rights Bill. Our recent Increasing job security report analyses the potential impact of the Bill on level of job security in the UK (1/5): www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Comment from our Principal Analyst @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social on the latest release of earnings data from the @ONS: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Comment from our Principal Analyst @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social on the latest CPI inflation release from the ONS ⬇️ “Cost of living pressures are persisting for workers and their families across the UK as inflation is at its joint highest level since January 2024 at 3.8%. (1/6)

ONLINE EVENT: Join us on Tuesday 4 November between 14.00 - 15.00 to explore new research looking at the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on levels of insecure work across the country. Register: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/increasing...

This morning, @aman93.bsky.social (Research and Policy Analyst) made his media debut on @lbc.co.uk with @fayebarker.bsky.social discussing the latest labour market statistics from Office for National Statistics.⬇️

Comment from our Director @benrharrison.bsky.social on the latest release from the ONS⬇️ “Today’s figures present serious challenges for Ministers hoping to ‘Get Britain Working’ and ‘Make Work Pay’ for workers across the UK. (1/8) www.ons.gov.uk/employmentan...

On Monday, we hosted a roundtable on overcoming youth health & employment challenges at the #ConservativePartyConference. It was hosted by Rt Hon Alistair Burt (Lancaster University) & focussed on how to create pathways into work for young people. (1/3)

🏆 Our #ResearchOfTheMonth goes to @timewise.bsky.social for their research paper 'Healthy By Design?' which shows that just 60,000 of the 2.4 million people economically inactive due to long-term ill health find a job each year. (1/5) Read here: timewise.co.uk/article/why-...

Comment from our Head of Research, @alicepmartin.bsky.social, on figures from the Office for National Statistics on the impact of motherhood on monthly employee earnings and employment status. The full statement is available at: lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

We have been at #LabourPartyConference #Lab25 hosting roundtables with Lancaster Uni and chaired by @benrharrison.bsky.social discussing the Employment Rights Bill, disability employment gap, AI and SMEs, living standards in coastal communities and youth employment. Here are some highlights: (1/6)

READ: The Government has made headlines for guaranteeing paid work for young people who have been unemployed for 18 months. But job guarantees are not new and @alicepmartin.bsky.social argues how it is designed and delivered will make all the difference. www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Today, we release a new study analysing the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill which indicates that millions of workers could benefit from better job security, but only if the Government stands firm and delivers on its promise of key reforms. (1/7) www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Comment from our Director @benrharrison.bsky.social on the latest release from the ONS⬇️ “Today’s figures highlight the challenge the Government faces in turning the economy around as the labour market continues to show signs of cooling. (1/7) www.ons.gov.uk/employmentan...

Today, the Work & Pensions Select Committee released a new report calling on the Department for Work & Pensions to reform the Jobcentre conditionality regime, including sanctions, placed on jobseekers and people in work on Universal Credit. (1/2) publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5901/cm...

Our #ResearchOfTheMonth goes to @niesrorg.bsky.social for their research exploring the barriers that Pakistani and Bangladeshi women in London face in accessing “good work”. (1/6) niesr.ac.uk/projects/ban...

Earlier this month, our Principal Analyst @rebeccaflorisson.bsky.social joined BBC Woman's Hour to discuss what impact working from home has on the careers of young women and whether it's more beneficial to be in the office. You can listen from 27.10: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Check out our fringe Party Conference programme with @lancasteruni.bsky.social. Roundtables will take place at the Labour Party Conference & Conservative Party Conference: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

Is the cost of living crisis over for workers? Our recent analysis showed 1 in 6 workers (17%) struggle to pay or cannot pay their household bills each month. 4 in 10 in workers (43%) state they have little or nothing left after paying their bills: www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

In June, we released new research showing that a web of health & employment challenges could see even more people leave the labour market. 1 in 17 workers say they are likely to leave their job in the next year due to health reasons. (1/7) www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...

We are delighted to announce our fringe Party Conference programme with @lancasteruni.bsky.social. Roundtables will take place at @teamlabouruk.bsky.social Conference & Conservative Conference. We will also be attending other party conferences (1/3): www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundat...