In this paper we construct a framework for evaluating the macroeconomic impact on the UK economy of policies that are aimed at reducing the number of people receiving social security benefits and getting them into employment. By means of model simulations we find that a 5 per cent reduction in...

This paper examines the effect of information and communication technologies (ICT) on the return paid to two different types of skill: general skills, acquired through schooling and work experience, and job-specific skills, acquired by experience in a particular job. Using the UK Labour Force...

This paper considers the macroeconomic effects of the migration that followed the enlargement of the EU in May 2004. At that time the EU was expanded to include 10 New Member States (NMS) predominantly from Central and Eastern Europe. In the wake of accession the number of workers migrating to...

Relatively little is known about the factors behind the level of international migration to and from the UK, despite the rapid growth in the number of migrants seen in recent years. Accordingly, we develop econometric models to examine across time the determinants of international migration...

  This paper analyses labour demand for low skill/low pay labour in order to explore the potential employment trade-offs associated with moving to a Living Wage. Using industry sector panel  data we model demand for labour classified into 5 groups defined by age and highest educational...

Individuals acquire experience during their working lives. This is usually thought to contribute to individuals' human capital and is rewarded in terms of pay. This paper looks at whether individuals' pay is also affected by the general experience acquired by others working in the same firm or...

It has long been argued that equality of opportunity brings business benefits and that it is in employers' interest to implement policy to promote equality of opportunity. We present new evidence on this issue from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey 2004. There do not appear to be large...

Improving economic growth is a key policy objective for the Government. Therefore, understanding the drivers of productivity growth is a fundamental requirement for effective economic policy. Current measurements of productivity, based on the ‘tangible’ inputs of capital and labour, do not...