The British Social Attitudes survey reveals that job satisfaction and willingness to exert discretionary effort at work have dropped to historic lows across the country. Meanwhile, the top 10% of earners saw wage increases of 7.3% over the past year compared to a mere 1.1% for the bottom 10%, marking the largest gap in pay rises ever recorded. To counter this divide, newly implemented policies allow trade union representatives access to all workplaces without fear of reprisal. Upcoming rules arriving next year will further require employers to conduct face-to-face consultations and provide specific business justifications before rejecting flexible work requests.
Key points
Most Britons now favor direct government intervention to narrow the widening gap between…: Most Britons now favor direct government intervention to narrow the widening gap between the rich and poor.
Recently enacted regulations allow trade union representatives to enter all workplaces to…: Recently enacted regulations allow trade union representatives to enter all workplaces to recruit and discuss conditions without reprisal.
Forthcoming employment rules will force employers to offer specific business reasons in f…: Forthcoming employment rules will force employers to offer specific business reasons in face-to-face meetings before denying flexible working requests.
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Britain is unhappier at work than since records began. The British Social Attitudes survey, the nation’s long-running annual pulse-taker, finds growing job dissatisfaction in its report, published today. People complain of a lack of flexibility in working hours, a lack of career advancement – and, of course, a lack of pay rises.
Who is surprised? Pay stagnation over the last decade is unprecedented since Napoleonic times, the economist Paul Johnson told me, but then corrected himself: “You might as well say ever.” Worse, over the last year pay inequality has jumped up for the first time in a decade, says the Resolution Foundation’s Mike Brewer. Pay for the top 10% rose by 7.3% but only by 1.1% for the bottom 10%. Why? The national living wage has stopped rising faster than median pay, and top pay has taken off again.
This gap in pay rises is the highest ever recorded. As ever, the wealth gap is even wider, the top 1% owning more than the whole bottom half. When incomes are rising, people may forget Britain’s extreme inequality, the highest…
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