In the three years from December 2022 to December 2025, the share of 16- to 24-year-olds in payrolled employment fell by 4.3 percentage points (equivalent to 330,000 people) from 54.9% to 50.6%. In comparison, the decline seen over the COVID-19 pandemic was 6.5 percentage points, while the fall in the 2008 financial crisis was 5.4 percentage points (relative to the pre-crisis trend).
The Secretary of State for Culture, Lisa Nandy and Minister for Economic Transformation, Blair McDougall, will today lead a delegation of 250+ strong business and cultural leaders to the US to drive economic growth at a major expo, Greater Together LA. Following King Charles’s historic address to Congress, the UK Government’s GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign is holding a major expo in Los Angeles, California, from 18th - 22nd May, 2026.
As the United States and China compete for dominance in artificial intelligence, energy is emerging as a critical battleground. Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson warns that while the US still leads in AI technology, electricity shortages could become a major constraint as data center demand surges.
Ministers announce the introduction of legislation to tackle late payments and protect small businesses. Small Business Protections Bill introduced to Parliament to back small businesses with the toughest late payment regime in the G7.
There are no new DVLA parking rules coming in this week. The stories circulating online are real, but they are not DVLA rules and not taking effect this week.
British businesses stand to benefit from billions in fresh financing being unlocked through reforms to the bank ring-fencing regime. Reforms to ring‑fencing to create a more agile and proportionate regime that reduces duplication within banks and removes barriers to lending and investment.
Half a tank, half a tank, Half a tank onward, All in the diesel queue Waiting and worried. “Forward for fuel once more!” Governments thundered.
The Scottish Government proposal (led by the SNP in 2026) to cap prices on up to 50 essential goods—such as bread, milk, and rice—is intended as a temporary, emergency measure to combat high cost-of-living pressures. While designed to improve affordability and nutrition, industry experts and economists widely argue that such price caps are unlikely to work effectively or sustainably in the long term.
Andy Burnham says he wants to break with the failed neoliberal economics that have damaged Britain for decades. He talks about public ownership, reindustrialisation, regional investment and rebuilding public services.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) releases published on 19 May 2026 point to a labour market that is weakening more quickly than headline figures alone suggest. The unemployment rate has risen to 5.0%, vacancies have fallen to a five-year low, payrolled employment has dropped sharply, and wage growth is slowing.
Tesco’s advertising campaign around Aldi Price Match is designed to reassure customers that they no longer need to leave mainstream supermarkets to find discount prices. The message is simple and psychologically effective: why shop at Aldi if Tesco offers the same prices? However, a closer examination of the scheme reveals a more complicated reality.
You could find some savings in this video..
This report explores how labour market histories and life events are associated with pension saving in the UK, and how different labour market patterns translate into differences in retirement outcomes in later life. Under the current private pension system, certain groups are at risk of accumulating little or no private pensions over their working-age life, especially those with long spells of non-employment or self-employment, and to a lesser extent those mostly in part-time work.
China has just opened what is widely described as the world’s largest open-sea solar power project. A huge offshore installation off the coast of Dongying in Shandong province developed by CHN Energy.
The Highland Council is showcasing the region’s ambitious Invest Highland programme at a national event this week at the UK Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) 2026 in Leeds. The Leader of the Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner, alongside Council Officers and Calum MacPherson of Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport will attend this year’s UKREiiF which exists to connect people, places, and businesses to accelerate investment, foster development, and drive sustainable regeneration across the UK.
North East Rig Out (NERO), a long‑established Aberdeen workwear and PPE supplier, has gone into liquidation after more than four decades in business. Eight jobs have been lost, and the liquidators were blunt about the cause: a prolonged downturn in the energy market and a sharp reduction in orders from oil and gas clients.
After 2039 Flood insurance will no longer be subsidised. Prices will reflect real flood risk.
Why are heating oil prices going down slightly when the oil price is going up?. It is probably a mixture of both seasonal effects and demand resistance from consumers and right now the second factor may actually be becoming more important.
Three of the world's most powerful militaries are simultaneously stuck in conflicts they cannot win. Russia has not defeated Ukraine after four years.
British citizens and regional partners will be better protected against drone attacks as the Royal Air Force deploys a new low-cost anti-drone weapon on operations in the Middle East. UK deploys new low-cost missile system to defend UK citizens and partners in the Middle East from drone attacks.