The Work Foundation is a leading think tank for improving work in the UK. Part of @LancasterManage at Lancaster Uni. Bluesky: workfoundation.bsky.social
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ALT Front cover of the Work Foundation’s report with titled: ‘No Progress? Tackling long-term insecure work.’ Tag Ben, Aman, Alice, Rebecca
ALT Work and Health Summit 2026 Delivering healthy work in uncertain times Tuesday 23 June 2026 | Central London > Sir Charlie Mayfield, Keep Britain Working Review > Professor Stavroula Leka, Lancaster University > Dame Carol Black > Paul Nowak, TUC > Alice Martin, Work Foundation > Asli Atay, Work Foundation > Dr Richard Peters, JLR > Ben Harrison, Work Foundation > Martin McTague, FSB > Sara Weller, BT. Lancaster University and Work Foundation logos
ALT Starting out: Boosting youth employment in local labour markets Divya Jyoti, Beth Suttill, Martin Quinn, Peter Watt, Jessica Redmond, Emelia Williams, Jon Fitzmaurice & Alice Martin June 2026 Work Foundation Lancaster Management School With thanks: Liverpool City Council
ALT Dr Divya Jyoti Lancaster University Management School “The young people we met in Morecambe and Liverpool aspire to be in education, work, or training but they feel alienated from the labour market. “Through no fault of their own, many young people in this study have faced difficult transitions and systemic barriers through their education and early lives. They are trying to find work in an extremely competitive market but are receiving little feedback or encouragement. Work Foundation Lancaster University
ALT Recommendations 1. Adopt a bolder and more localised approach to the Youth Job Guarantee 2. Strengthen the devolution roadmap in England to tackle place-based barriers to youth employment 3. Boost support in education to improve young people’s transition into work and reduce the risk of disengagement. Work Foundation Lancaster University
ALT Line chart showing the percentage of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) increased over the year (January to March 2025)
ALT Alice Martin, Head of Research, Work Foundation at Lancaster University Young workers need secure jobs “Young people are entering one of the toughest labour markets in years, facing intense competition for a shrinking number of entry-level jobs. “But a difficult labour market is no excuse for undermining pay or job security. The ban on exploitative zero-hour contracts is long overdue. One in five workers in the UK is in severely insecure work, without predictable pay or basic protections. These reforms have not yet come into force, so blaming current hiring trends on them is misplaced." Work Foundation logo, Lancaster University logo
ALT WORK MATTERS 2026 14.00 - 15.00 | Wednesday 20 May 2026 | Online Can the UK labour market withstand renewed global volatility? The UK labour market continues to struggle at a time of growing global uncertainty. Earnings are losing momentum just as another potential cost of living squeeze emerges. At the same time, unemployment has risen to a five-year high of 5.2%, while half of UK adults now identify employment as an important national issue. Join the Work Foundation and a panel of experts to discuss what the labour market and inflation statistics mean for workers, employers and the economy in 2026. Ben Harrison Director, Work Foundation at Lancaster University Dr Andrea Barry Deputy Director, Work, Centre for Ageing Better Simon French Chief Economist and Head of Research, Panmure Liberum Emma Taggart Economics Reporter, The Telegraph Work Foundation logo
ALT “Latest figures suggest the labour market remains soft, with vacancies at their lowest level in five years and unemployment higher than a year ago. The number of payroll employees continued to fall in the three months to March, while regular wage growth slowed further. Liz McKeown Director of Economic Statistics, ONS