Working time and careers

At the TUC conference last week, the General Secretary Frances O'Grady offered a striking  comparison, between the C19 struggle for the 8-hour day and what she sees as the equivalent struggle in this century - for a 4-day working week.  Some commentators felt that her ambition was a little modest, as she put the target date for achievement only as the end of the century.  But I think O'Grady is absolutely right to bring the issue of working time centre stage.  (I'm anyway a fan of hers for showing such leadership on the People's Vote, but that's another issue.  Well, actually, only partly another issue as the EU provides the…
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Salutary reminders on pay gaps and progress

There has been a steady trickle of important PP-relevant analyses in recent weeks.  Here are just two of them. First, the TUC shows how the gender pay gap is biggest for women in their 50s, at about £8500 per year, or £85000 over the decade.  This is a powerful reminder that we need to look at these effects over the whole of the working life.  Of course much of the gap derives from the point at which women have children.  For mothers in their 50s the gap is 42%, and so the crucial remedies are better childcare provision and parental leave, with encouragement for men to share child-rearing responsibilities. But…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Gender job splitting

Some familiar-but-important and some new material from a discussion on a new report today from the TUC/Work Foundation, on the Gender Jobs Split. The familiar was about the dismal and depressing overall levels of youth unemployment, and their probable long-term impact on the futures of this generation.   Familiar too, but in a different sense, is the way young women and men go into their separate groups of occupations - the difference being that many of the commentators expressed surprise (as well as dismay) at how little things have changed on this over the decades.  Ian Brinkley described progress on gender desegregation as 'glacial';  others went further and suggested that the…
Read More

Over time and cohort/generation effects

I was very glad to hear recently from Anna Coote of nef that they will be publishing a fuller treatment of new approaches to working time.  Anna and I agree that it is vital to think of this in the context of working lives, ie over the full period of the decades that people work.  Her earlier work for nef focussed very much on a shorter working week, and explored the very broad range of benefits which would flow from a general shortening of the week:  a better spread of employment, better family arrangements and a more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, to  name but three rather large ones.  It's good news…
Read More

Working time and careers

At the TUC conference last week, the General Secretary Frances O'Grady offered a striking  comparison, between the C19 struggle for the 8-hour day and what she sees as the equivalent struggle in this century - for a 4-day working week.  Some commentators felt that her ambition was a little modest, as she put the target date for achievement only as the end of the century.  But I think O'Grady is absolutely right to bring the issue of working time centre stage.  (I'm anyway a fan of hers for showing such leadership on the People's Vote, but that's another issue.  Well, actually, only partly another issue as the EU provides the…
Read More

Salutary reminders on pay gaps and progress

There has been a steady trickle of important PP-relevant analyses in recent weeks.  Here are just two of them. First, the TUC shows how the gender pay gap is biggest for women in their 50s, at about £8500 per year, or £85000 over the decade.  This is a powerful reminder that we need to look at these effects over the whole of the working life.  Of course much of the gap derives from the point at which women have children.  For mothers in their 50s the gap is 42%, and so the crucial remedies are better childcare provision and parental leave, with encouragement for men to share child-rearing responsibilities. But…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Gender job splitting

Some familiar-but-important and some new material from a discussion on a new report today from the TUC/Work Foundation, on the Gender Jobs Split. The familiar was about the dismal and depressing overall levels of youth unemployment, and their probable long-term impact on the futures of this generation.   Familiar too, but in a different sense, is the way young women and men go into their separate groups of occupations - the difference being that many of the commentators expressed surprise (as well as dismay) at how little things have changed on this over the decades.  Ian Brinkley described progress on gender desegregation as 'glacial';  others went further and suggested that the…
Read More

Over time and cohort/generation effects

I was very glad to hear recently from Anna Coote of nef that they will be publishing a fuller treatment of new approaches to working time.  Anna and I agree that it is vital to think of this in the context of working lives, ie over the full period of the decades that people work.  Her earlier work for nef focussed very much on a shorter working week, and explored the very broad range of benefits which would flow from a general shortening of the week:  a better spread of employment, better family arrangements and a more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, to  name but three rather large ones.  It's good news…
Read More

Working time and careers

At the TUC conference last week, the General Secretary Frances O'Grady offered a striking  comparison, between the C19 struggle for the 8-hour day and what she sees as the equivalent struggle in this century - for a 4-day working week.  Some commentators felt that her ambition was a little modest, as she put the target date for achievement only as the end of the century.  But I think O'Grady is absolutely right to bring the issue of working time centre stage.  (I'm anyway a fan of hers for showing such leadership on the People's Vote, but that's another issue.  Well, actually, only partly another issue as the EU provides the…
Read More

Salutary reminders on pay gaps and progress

There has been a steady trickle of important PP-relevant analyses in recent weeks.  Here are just two of them. First, the TUC shows how the gender pay gap is biggest for women in their 50s, at about £8500 per year, or £85000 over the decade.  This is a powerful reminder that we need to look at these effects over the whole of the working life.  Of course much of the gap derives from the point at which women have children.  For mothers in their 50s the gap is 42%, and so the crucial remedies are better childcare provision and parental leave, with encouragement for men to share child-rearing responsibilities. But…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Gender job splitting

Some familiar-but-important and some new material from a discussion on a new report today from the TUC/Work Foundation, on the Gender Jobs Split. The familiar was about the dismal and depressing overall levels of youth unemployment, and their probable long-term impact on the futures of this generation.   Familiar too, but in a different sense, is the way young women and men go into their separate groups of occupations - the difference being that many of the commentators expressed surprise (as well as dismay) at how little things have changed on this over the decades.  Ian Brinkley described progress on gender desegregation as 'glacial';  others went further and suggested that the…
Read More

Over time and cohort/generation effects

I was very glad to hear recently from Anna Coote of nef that they will be publishing a fuller treatment of new approaches to working time.  Anna and I agree that it is vital to think of this in the context of working lives, ie over the full period of the decades that people work.  Her earlier work for nef focussed very much on a shorter working week, and explored the very broad range of benefits which would flow from a general shortening of the week:  a better spread of employment, better family arrangements and a more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, to  name but three rather large ones.  It's good news…
Read More

Working time and careers

At the TUC conference last week, the General Secretary Frances O'Grady offered a striking  comparison, between the C19 struggle for the 8-hour day and what she sees as the equivalent struggle in this century - for a 4-day working week.  Some commentators felt that her ambition was a little modest, as she put the target date for achievement only as the end of the century.  But I think O'Grady is absolutely right to bring the issue of working time centre stage.  (I'm anyway a fan of hers for showing such leadership on the People's Vote, but that's another issue.  Well, actually, only partly another issue as the EU provides the…
Read More

Salutary reminders on pay gaps and progress

There has been a steady trickle of important PP-relevant analyses in recent weeks.  Here are just two of them. First, the TUC shows how the gender pay gap is biggest for women in their 50s, at about £8500 per year, or £85000 over the decade.  This is a powerful reminder that we need to look at these effects over the whole of the working life.  Of course much of the gap derives from the point at which women have children.  For mothers in their 50s the gap is 42%, and so the crucial remedies are better childcare provision and parental leave, with encouragement for men to share child-rearing responsibilities. But…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Gender job splitting

Some familiar-but-important and some new material from a discussion on a new report today from the TUC/Work Foundation, on the Gender Jobs Split. The familiar was about the dismal and depressing overall levels of youth unemployment, and their probable long-term impact on the futures of this generation.   Familiar too, but in a different sense, is the way young women and men go into their separate groups of occupations - the difference being that many of the commentators expressed surprise (as well as dismay) at how little things have changed on this over the decades.  Ian Brinkley described progress on gender desegregation as 'glacial';  others went further and suggested that the…
Read More

Over time and cohort/generation effects

I was very glad to hear recently from Anna Coote of nef that they will be publishing a fuller treatment of new approaches to working time.  Anna and I agree that it is vital to think of this in the context of working lives, ie over the full period of the decades that people work.  Her earlier work for nef focussed very much on a shorter working week, and explored the very broad range of benefits which would flow from a general shortening of the week:  a better spread of employment, better family arrangements and a more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, to  name but three rather large ones.  It's good news…
Read More

Working time and careers

At the TUC conference last week, the General Secretary Frances O'Grady offered a striking  comparison, between the C19 struggle for the 8-hour day and what she sees as the equivalent struggle in this century - for a 4-day working week.  Some commentators felt that her ambition was a little modest, as she put the target date for achievement only as the end of the century.  But I think O'Grady is absolutely right to bring the issue of working time centre stage.  (I'm anyway a fan of hers for showing such leadership on the People's Vote, but that's another issue.  Well, actually, only partly another issue as the EU provides the…
Read More

Salutary reminders on pay gaps and progress

There has been a steady trickle of important PP-relevant analyses in recent weeks.  Here are just two of them. First, the TUC shows how the gender pay gap is biggest for women in their 50s, at about £8500 per year, or £85000 over the decade.  This is a powerful reminder that we need to look at these effects over the whole of the working life.  Of course much of the gap derives from the point at which women have children.  For mothers in their 50s the gap is 42%, and so the crucial remedies are better childcare provision and parental leave, with encouragement for men to share child-rearing responsibilities. But…
Read More

EQ and PP

Andy Haldane, the Bank of England's chief economist, caused quite a stir last week with his speech to the TUC on how many jobs might be taken over by robots.  This was a typical report, from The Times: "The robots are coming - and they may take 15 million British jobs, says the Bank of England's chief economist. Andy Haldane told the Trade Union Congress yesterday that millions of jobs could be at risk of automation, with those most vulnerable working in the administrative, clerical and production sectors and among the low paid." Having also scared the accountants in the audience (though not many owned up to being in this…
Read More

Gender job splitting

Some familiar-but-important and some new material from a discussion on a new report today from the TUC/Work Foundation, on the Gender Jobs Split. The familiar was about the dismal and depressing overall levels of youth unemployment, and their probable long-term impact on the futures of this generation.   Familiar too, but in a different sense, is the way young women and men go into their separate groups of occupations - the difference being that many of the commentators expressed surprise (as well as dismay) at how little things have changed on this over the decades.  Ian Brinkley described progress on gender desegregation as 'glacial';  others went further and suggested that the…
Read More

Over time and cohort/generation effects

I was very glad to hear recently from Anna Coote of nef that they will be publishing a fuller treatment of new approaches to working time.  Anna and I agree that it is vital to think of this in the context of working lives, ie over the full period of the decades that people work.  Her earlier work for nef focussed very much on a shorter working week, and explored the very broad range of benefits which would flow from a general shortening of the week:  a better spread of employment, better family arrangements and a more environmentally friendly consumption patterns, to  name but three rather large ones.  It's good news…
Read More