On December 4, 2023, Home Secretary James Cleverly announced a series of changes to the UK’s immigration policy (although the timing at which some of these changes come into effect was subsequently modified). These changes are intended to reduce net migration into the UK, which the most recent immigration statistics (according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)) show has...

UK inflation ticks up in December UK inflation surprisingly increased in December according to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation ticked up to 4.0% in December 2023 from 3.9% in November (Figure 1). This was the first time the rate had increased since February 2023 and had not been expected by most commentators. Figure...

On 22 January 2024, the GLA’s City Intelligence Unit released the fourth version of its bi-annual State of London report – a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of London’s key economic and social outcomes. The report covers numerous datasets that update at different intervals, but most of the data presented reflect the state of affairs in 2022 and 2023 (i.e., after...

Since the June 2016 Referendum on the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union, there have been many studies and assessments of that decision’s impact on the UK and its various economic sectors and regions, including London. Broadly speaking, the literature concurs that Brexit has been exerting pressures on the London and UK economies, to the detriment of long-term growth...

Inflation falls as the Bank holds steady on interest rates There was another sharp fall in Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in November, falling by 0.2% on the month, and rising by 3.9% in the 12 months to November, down from 4.6% in October, and 6.7% in September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The largest downward contributions to...

The Chancellor delivers tax cuts, although the tax burden for households is still rising Higher than expected inflation has increased tax receipts and enabled the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, to cut taxes in his Autumn Statement this month – the headline announcement was a 2 percentage point cut in National Insurance contributions (NICs) for employees from 12% to 10% from January 2024....

On November 22nd, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt released the 2023 Autumn Statement. The Statement’s release comes amid ongoing uncertainty regarding the date of the next general election, as well as concerns about the UK’s fiscal position, the social and economic consequences of the cost-of-living crisis, and ongoing geopolitical flux. This Statement was meant to present a ‘pro-growth’ agenda centred on tax cuts...

Introduction Skills are important for the economy, individuals and employers. For the economy, education and skills are key drivers of economic growth and productivity. For individuals, people with higher level qualifications are more likely to be in work, earn higher wages, and enjoy greater job security. And finally for employers, hiring difficulties and skills gaps could limit the growth and profitability...

UK inflation fails to fall in September Office for National Statistics (ONS) data that was published this month showed inflation didn’t fall in September. Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation remained at 6.7%, unchanged from August (Figure 1). Most economists had expected a small drop in September’s inflation figure. The ONS noted that the biggest downward contribution to inflation “came from food...

Introduction This blog explores the recently released experimental estimates of green jobs produced for the first time by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in September 2023. Tracking the number of green jobs is important. The Mayor of London has set a target for London to achieve net zero carbon by 2030. This transition to a greener economy will have major implications...