2018 WBG Briefing: Women, Employment and Earnings
Updated following the 2018 Autumn Budget, this briefing reflects changes announced by the Chancellor on changes to the labour market by gender.
UK Policy Briefing
Briefing I: Introduction and Headline Measures
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) releases regular updates on the UK labour market. This includes key headline measures such as employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity 1 . Noting changes in the figures themselves is straightforward – rates go up or down – but the causal factors behind them are more complex.
While headline measures are useful for gaining a snapshot of the current context and how things change over time, they also mask inequalities based on characteristics such as , ethnicity, age and disability. To gain insight into why any changes are taking place, it is important to understand how labour market participation varies between different groups, and why any changes may be occurring.
This briefing – the first of a series – provides an overview of headline measures: employment, unemployment and economic inactivity through a gender lens.
Due to recent sampling problems with its Labour Force Survey, the ONS advises caution when interpreting short-term changes in headline rates. It recommends using them as part of their suite of labour market indicators alongside Workforce Jobs, claimant count data and Pay As You Earn Real Time Information (PAYE RTI) estimates. The key purpose of this briefing is to analyse longer term trends and mark key differences between men and women, but it should be noted that some uncertainty exists regarding the accuracy of exact figures.
Updated following the 2018 Autumn Budget, this briefing reflects changes announced by the Chancellor on changes to the labour market by gender.
The Women’s Budget Group submitted a response to the Treasury Committee Inquiry on Jobs, growth, and productivity after coronavirus in May 2021.
This blog highlights the unequal burden of unpaid work on women, especially during lockdowns. It critiques the current Shared Parental Leave system.
WBG expresses concerns over the implications of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill for employment rights and employment case law.