Nigel Farage’s pledge to end indefinite leave could hurt the economy even before an election Businesses thinking of investing in the UK pay attention to announcements like these – so did Reform ask any industry groups if it was sound economic policy?

My latest article for @uk.theconversation.com on the economic implications of the latest migration proposals from Reform leader Nigel Farage

theconversation.com/nigel-farage...

Universities and social care depend on immigration. The UK government’s plans could be an economic own goal Both sectors are already in crisis – and plans for more curbs on immigration will hit them hard.

My article for @uk.theconversation.com on the latest immigration plans announced by the UK government and their potential impact on key sectors of the economy #socialcare #highered #Starmer #Labour

theconversation.com/universities...

Scotland’s vibrant research sector to receive over £686.5K in the latest RSE Research Awards Programme We are pleased to announce that 63 exceptional research projects have been selected at the autumn 2024 Research Awards open call.

Delighted to be among those awarded funding from
@royalsoced.bsky.social for my project 'Electronic performance monitoring and the future of fair work' Looking forward to building connections with researchers interested in this field. @stir.ac.uk @crispsurv.bsky.social

rse.org.uk/scotlands-vi...

Anatomy of a jobs promise Eye-catching boosterism about employment from new projects does not always stand up to scrutiny

Anatomy of a jobs promise

www.ft.com/content/2f25065d-3eeb-49...

Social media rewires young minds – here’s how Using social media lights up the same parts of your brain as other addictions, such as drugs, alcohol and gambling.

Using social media lights up the same parts of your brain as other addictions, such as drugs, alcohol and gambling.

January sunshine on the west coast of Scotland 🌞

In October, the Government had a narrow margin of headroom against its two fiscal rules.

There has been speculation that recent turbulence in the bond markets may wipe out the £9.9 billion headroom against the current balance rule.

If so, what could the Chancellor do?
https://buff.ly/4fPTi9H

UK borrowing costs have hit their highest level since the banking crisis. An economist explains what’s happening How much trouble is the government in?

How much trouble is the government in?

The coming battle between social media and the state Behind the alignment of X and Meta with Trump is a cold business logic — and a position of weakness rather than strength

The coming battle between social media and the state

www.ft.com/content/917c9535-1cdb-4f...

Word of the day is most definitely ‘hurkle-durkling’ (19th-century Scots): to linger in bed long after it’s time to get up.

The south west coast of Scotland today

The Government has begun outlining its Industrial Strategy for ten years of growth.

Get the Resolution Foundation response, from Gregory Thwaites and David Willetts, here ⤵️ https://buff.ly/49AqLUg

Revival in SNP fortunes raises fresh questions about Scottish independence Polls show highest level of support in four years for breaking away from UK

Support for independence remains a key feature of Scottish politics. I spoke to @simeonkerr.bsky.social for this piece in the FT which explores the prospects for the SNP and the independence movement on.ft.com/3ZORl7E

My grandfather was ‘Mr Health and Safety’. His life’s quest to make work safer has been ridiculed – but the rise of the gig economy shows it’s no joke The Health and Safety at Work Act passed into UK law 50 years ago. Harold Walker was its driving force, inspired by his own experiences of workplace injury.

My grandfather was ‘Mr Health and Safety’. His life’s quest to make work safer has been ridiculed – but the rise of the gig economy shows it’s no joke

Academics from poorer socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to
- not publish
- have outstanding publication records
- introduce more novel scientific concepts
- less likely to receive recognition, as measured by citations, Nobel Prize nominations, and awards.
www.nber.org/papers/w33289

The gig economy is coming to a shop near you Apps that let retailers hire freelance staff by the shift are increasing in popularity

Important piece by @sarahoconnorft.bsky.social illustrating what many of us have been warning for some time:

"these apps might feel flexible and empowering for both sides when there is plenty of demand for workers, but what about in a downturn, where many people could be chasing the same shifts?"

Are poor people poorly heard? A growing body of literature shows that the preferences of poorer groups in society are less well represented than the preferences of the rich. This paper scrutinises one possible explanation of ineq....

Sevenans et al. in EJPR: "our study shows that – whenever there is a significant preference gap between lower- and higher-income groups – politicians’ perceptions of what citizens want are skewed towards the preferences of higher-income voters on socio-economic issues."

doi.org/10.1111/1475...

What Trump’s industrial policy will look like New legislation raises questions about whether Maga, or Wall Street, will steer the ship in the incoming administration

What Trump’s industrial policy will look like

www.ft.com/content/2184e3e6-83c4-41...

A hard day’s night • Resolution Foundation This report describes the labour market experiences of low-to-middle income families and how these have changed over the past quarter century. It explores those families’ employment, pay, experiences…

Low-income workers are less satisfied with their jobs than high-income workers.

We asked some of them why that might be.

Catch up on our recent research here ⤵️

Does the UK have enough workers to ‘get Britain building’? The Labour government dreams of kick-starting a housebuilding boom, but the construction sector relies heavily on migrants to plug a skills gap

Does the UK have enough workers to ‘get Britain building’?

www.ft.com/content/ca441a61-6feb-4d...

🚨 New research published today🚨

The employment gap between people living in the poorest and richest families in Britain has fallen by a third since the late 1990s. But Britain still has a ‘quality of work’ gap.

Read more ➡️ https://buff.ly/41t2I7u

The Flexibility Trap: How Algorithms Drive Precarity in Platform Work | TechPolicy.Press Atieh Razavi Yekta is a sessional lecturer and researcher at the University of British Columbia.

In the platform economy, algorithms often obscure how platforms extract value from workers, masking the ways workers' efforts translate into profit, writes Atieh Razavi Yekta. www.techpolicy.press/the-flexibil...

over 10,000 civil service jobs will be cut under ministers’ plans to find savings of 5% to their departments in the spending review

ministers are looking at rolling out voluntary redundancy programmes across a range of departments

scoop via @lucyfisher.bsky.social

www.ft.com/content/3da3...

GM to Wind Down Robotaxi Operations Once Championed by CEO Barra General Motors Co.’s Cruise self-driving car unit will exit the robotaxi business, a retreat from a market that proved costly and full of reputational pitfalls for the automaker.

General Motors' Cruise self-driving car unit will exit the robotaxi business, a retreat from a market that proved costly and full of reputational pitfalls for the automaker

TikTok-owner ByteDance takes early lead in race to capitalise on AI Beijing-based company has lured top AI talent from local rivals while becoming China’s biggest buyer of Nvidia chips

TikTok-owner ByteDance takes early lead in race to capitalise on AI

www.ft.com/content/e90f4a83-bc31-4a...

Yesterday @Keir_Starmer announced a new economic milestone of "raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom". Chart of the Week shows that regional gains could be the biggest challenge - it's been achieved in just three of the past six parliaments.

Read more➡️https://buff.ly/3ZrwS8y

Here is a list of tools and guides I have developed or been part of a team of developers to empower #workers in #digitalised workplaces.

1. Weclock. www.weclock.it
WeClock is an #opensource privacy preserving app to help workers collect their own data to challenge/campaign working conditions.

Are labour disputes here to stay? Workers across Europe are increasingly dissatisfied with the increased cost of living which is often not matched by their payslips.

"Are labour disputes here to stay?" Victoria Cojocariu and Maria Sedlakova explore the rise in strikes in the EU and what it means for the future of work.
www.socialeurope.eu/are-labour-d...

A $105 Trillion Inheritance Windfall Is On the Way for US Heirs Rising stock markets and home prices have helped many older Americans amass large estates, but the share of people who inherit money has remained small

Rising stock markets and home prices, as well as inflation, have boosted the value of baby boomers' estates, setting the stage for a historic transfer of wealth in the US

The unprecedented decision to strike down the vote, which was won by far-right candidate Călin Georgescu, came after documents published this week indicated Moscow co-ordinated hybrid attacks seeking to undermine the election. www.ft.com/content/2248...