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The latest UK labour market data presents a mixed picture, with the employment rate showing modest improvement despite earlier indications of weakening demand. The unemployment rate has risen to 4.4%, continuing its upward trajectory, while the UK Claimant Count increased in February 2025. These suggest a persistent challenge of insufficient job creation, resulting in growing benefit dependency.

In February IER Director, Chris Warhurst, was an invited speaker at in the Global Labour Markets Conference in Riyadh. It is a new, annual event involving the World Bank, ILO and United Nations, global trade union organisations and C-suite business leaders. Chris participated in two sessions, the first a presidential style ‘gloves off’ debate about skills and AI and the second presenting IER’s work on green jobs and a just transition.

This book chapter examines self-employment among people aged 50 and over in the liberal market economies of Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA against the backdrop of the economic shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and in the context of long-standing efforts aimed at increasing levels of older workers’ labour force participation. It features in the new , edited by Wieteke Conen and Enrico Reuter.

In its spring announcements, Director of IER, Professor Chris Warhurst, has been conferred as a .

Many congratulations from all at IER on the award.