Welcome to Covid Jobs Research: UK!
This website showcases research from a team of researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Essex on the state of the UK labour market following the Covid pandemic.
Update: The Snapshot and Shortage tools have just been updated with the latest data up to 2022 Q4.
Update: We have just updated our analysis of the rising inactivity of older workers, available here.
Labour Market Snapshot
What is the current state of the UK labour market following the pandemic? Every quarter we go through the latest data to build a Labour Market Snapshot, which shows how employment and inactivity are evolving, along with labour market flows, measures of industry and occupational mobility, market tightness and the Beveridge Curve, and misallocation. Click here, or the link at the top of the page, to find out more.
Want to understand where the UK’s labour shortages are coming from?
Labour shortages are one of the biggest problems facing the UK economy post-pandemic. Why are workers quitting their jobs? Why are older people leaving the labour force? Why are some industries like Manufacturing and Construction struggling so much to hire? Read on to find out more.
To find out for yourself, visit our interactive Labour Shortages tool. This gives you an easy to read dive into the UK’s problems with labour shortages using the latest data and cutting-edge research.
Our key finding is that workers have not only been leaving the labour force after the pandemic, but that they have changed where they want to look jobs, which is creating problems for the industries most affected by shortages.
Or you can read our articles in The Conversation about the “Great Resignation” and the “Silver Exodus” of older workers.
What is this website about?
The research here was conducted by a small team of researchers as part of an ESRC grant titled “The impact of COVID-19 on unemployment and earnings inequality”. In the spirit of making publicly-funded research as open as possible, we have built this website to showcase our research in an accessible and easy to understand way.
Along with our research, we have written articles about the “Great Resignation” of UK workers, and the increase in retirements post-Covid. You can find non-technical write-ups, policy briefings, and our academic papers at the Our Findings page.
Our findings are aimed at policymakers, interested members of the public, and journalists. So please do take a look around!
Meet the team
The research on this website has been conducted in various parts by:
- Professor Carlos Carrillo-Tudela
- Professor Ludo Visschers
- Professor Annette Jäckle
- Dr Alex Clymo
- Dr David Zentler-Munro
- Camila Comunello
To get in touch for press inquiries or any other reasons, please visit our Contact page.