Publications

The Foundation Phase is a Welsh Government flagship policy of early years education (for 3 to 7-year-old children) in Wales. Marking a radical departure from the more formal, competency-based approach associated with the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, it advocates a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to teaching and learning. The Learning Country: a Paving…

This Report is based on survey data collected from two samples of workers: 7,213 workers aged 20-65 years old and living in Britain in 2006 and 3,200 similarly aged workers in 2012. Both surveys were boosted in Wales yielding a total sample of almost1,000 workers in Wales – 407 respondents in 2006 and 587 in…

This paper reports on two research projects, one of them completed some time ago, theother ongoing. The first project was funded by the New York based Russell SageFoundation and involved a comparative study of low pay in the five European countries – theUK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. This was subsequently extended in acomparative…

The percentage of income held by the top 1% in the UK has increased since the 1970’s, from 6% in 1979 to 14-15% in 2001. If we compare Wales and the North of England with the East and London, earnings were 8% lower in 1979 and 25% lower in 2007. From 1970-2012 there has been…

Fear at work can take several forms – worry about loss of employment, about unfair treatment and about job status loss in the organisation. This report examines what has been happening in British workplaces over the last decade.

Working hard can be challenging, stressful and costly, but it can also be stimulating, rewarding and financially beneficial. Work intensification was a feature of the early 1990s, after which work effort levelled off. This report tracks what has been happening in recent years.

Happiness at work is an important ingredient of national well-being. It can be measured in two core dimensions – ‘enthusiasm’ for, and ‘contentment’ with, the job.

Large investments of time and money are made by government, employers and workers in education and training. For the economy to thrive, the best use needs to be made of the skills produced. This report provides new evidence on whether employers in Britain are doing so and whether jobs are being upskilled.

Good quality and extensive training opportunities are essential for increasing the skills of the workforce. This report tracks what has been happening in Britain’s workplaces in recent years.

Employees’ ability to influence decisions at work is one of the most important factors affecting their motivation and psychological well-being, and is also associated with good physical health. This report examines the trends in different types of employee control in British workplaces, and presents a mixed picture.