#living-standards — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #living-standards, aggregated by home.social.
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https://www.europesays.com/uk/951533/ Britain to lose 163,000 jobs amid Iran war fallout – with two UK regions hit the hardest #BankOfEngland #Banks #Business #Economy #EnergyBills #HumberInc #Iran #JobLosses #LivingStandards #MiddleEast #PriceRises #redundancy #UK #unemployment #UnitedKingdom
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https://www.europesays.com/britain/33231/ Britain to lose 163,000 jobs amid Iran war fallout – with two UK regions hit the hardest #BankOfEngland #Banks #Britain #EnergyBills #HumberInc #Iran #JobLosses #LivingStandards #MiddleEast #PriceRises #redundancy #unemployment
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Lower speed limits to avoid £8billion cost of Iran war, think tank suggests
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/iran-war-inflation-tax-economy-37117852
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Lower speed limits to avoid £8billion cost of Iran war, think tank suggests
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/iran-war-inflation-tax-economy-37117852
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Lower speed limits to avoid £8billion cost of Iran war, think tank suggests
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/iran-war-inflation-tax-economy-37117852
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Lower speed limits to avoid £8billion cost of Iran war, think tank suggests
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/iran-war-inflation-tax-economy-37117852
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Lower speed limits to avoid £8billion cost of Iran war, think tank suggests
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/iran-war-inflation-tax-economy-37117852
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https://www.europesays.com/iran/64263/ Iraq secures 123rd spot in 2026 global prosperity index #EconomicResources #gap #Iraq #IraqSecures123rdSpotIn2026GlobalProsperityIndex #LivingStandards
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Advances in AI will boost productivity, living standards over time
Mark A. Wynne and Lillian Derr Artificial intelligence (AI), like many technologies before it, offers the potential to…
#Economy #AI #artificialintelligence #Dallas #FederalReserve #FederalReserveSystem #GDP #jobs #livingstandards #productivity
https://www.europesays.com/2895219/ -
FALLING BEHIND: Wales’s jobs gap with the rest of the UK has widened again — and wages are lagging too, new research finds
Wales has fallen further behind the rest of the UK on jobs, pay and living standards, according to a major new independent report published today — with the employment gap that narrowed during the 2000s and 2010s now wider than at any point since before the last financial crisis.
The findings come from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, one of the UK’s leading independent economic research organisations, in a briefing paper published as part of a series specifically examining the Welsh economy ahead of next month’s Senedd election.
The headline finding is stark. Wales’s employment rate for 16 to 64-year-olds stands at around 71%, compared to 75% in the rest of the UK — a gap of approximately four percentage points. That gap had been narrowed significantly in the decade leading up to the pandemic, falling to around two percentage points in the second half of the 2010s. But Wales’s employment rate fell more sharply after Covid-19 than the rest of the UK, and has not recovered at the same pace, reopening the divide.
As Swansea Bay News has previously reported, Wales already has the lowest employment rate of any UK nation and the highest economic inactivity rate in Great Britain — with nearly one in four working-age adults not in work and not looking for a job. The IFS findings add independent academic weight to a trend already visible in national statistics.
On pay, the picture is similarly challenging. Welsh workers earned a median monthly wage of £2,401 in 2025 — around 5% below the UK median. That gap has narrowed only marginally over the past decade, from just over 6% in 2015. The mean pay gap is even wider at 16%, reflecting the fact that Wales has relatively few high earners, both because of the shape of its economy and because Welsh employers tend to host fewer of the highest-paid roles within any given sector.
The pay divide between Wales and the rest of the UK is almost twice as large in the private sector as in the public sector. That imbalance has a striking consequence: public sector workers in Wales out-earn private sector workers of the same age, sex, education and experience — the reverse of the pattern seen across England as a whole.
Those lower wages, combined with lower employment, feed directly into household incomes. Median household net incomes in Wales are nearly 6% lower than the UK average. The gap is present across the entire income distribution but is largest at the top — 4% lower at the tenth percentile, widening to 13% lower at the ninetieth. Lower housing costs in Wales provide only partial relief, according to the IFS.
Jed Michael, one of the report’s authors and a research economist at the IFS, said the data presented a clear challenge for whoever forms the next Welsh Government. “After catching up during the first two decades of the 21st century, more recent data suggest Wales’s employment rate has fallen behind the rest of the UK,” he said. “When combined with lower earnings, this lower employment rate means both lower average household incomes and a slightly higher poverty rate than the UK as a whole — despite lower housing costs.”
Michael added that the structure of Welsh devolution limited the tools available to address poverty directly. “The Welsh Government has limited control over benefits, which are generally the most direct way to boost the income of low-income households,” he said, pointing to employment, productivity and earnings as the levers that must be pulled instead.
The report also notes that improving the employment picture would not only raise living standards but directly benefit the Welsh Government’s own finances — through higher devolved income tax revenues and lower spending on devolved benefits such as the council tax reduction scheme.
The findings landed immediately in the election campaign. Samuel Kurtz MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, said the report confirmed “what people across Wales already feel.” He said: “Fewer people in work, lower wages, and living standards lagging behind the rest of the UK. The Welsh Conservatives have a clear and credible plan to get Wales working — cutting taxes, backing businesses, and creating the conditions for higher wages and more jobs.”
The IFS report is the fourth in a series of Welsh election briefings funded by the Nuffield Foundation. It does not attribute blame for the trends it identifies to any particular party or government, focusing instead on the data and its implications for future policy.
The employment picture is particularly relevant to communities across South West Wales. Swansea has recorded the weakest payroll performance of any Welsh city region in recent months, with a net loss of more than 1,300 jobs on payroll in the year to January 2026. That places the city at the bottom of a league table of Welsh regions at a time when the national picture is already challenging.
The picture in Swansea is not entirely bleak, however, and the IFS data captures trends at a regional level that don’t always reflect the grain of individual investment decisions. A significant wave of business activity has been reported in the city in recent months. Amazon-owned tech firm Veeqo has opened its new headquarters at the 71/72 Kingsway development, where global workspace operator IWG has also taken 20,000 square feet — part of a Kingsway scheme that has attracted its first wave of tenants and formally opened in recent weeks, with a further office development now under way at the former St David’s site. Amazon itself has pointed to £2.4 billion in Welsh investment with Swansea at its centre.
Beyond the office sector, retailers including Skechers and Boyes have arrived in the city, Greggs has opened a larger city centre shop as part of the ongoing regeneration programme, and a Penllergaer distribution warehouse — approved by Swansea Council’s planning committee this week — is expected to create around 250 jobs when operational. Homegrown businesses are also making their mark: a Swansea firm recently secured £8 million to develop deep-sea wind power technology, Swansea Building Society has expanded its branch network and launched a new app on the back of strong demand, and a women-led city brewery has been celebrating growth. Travis Perkins has relocated its Swansea branch to a larger site in Llansamlet, creating new jobs in the process.
The IFS report itself acknowledges that improving the employment and earnings picture is a long-term structural challenge, not one that turns on any single investment or announcement. For people in Swansea and across South West Wales, the question the data poses is whether the visible signs of regeneration and investment are translating into better-paid, more secure work — and the IFS findings suggest that on the numbers currently available, the answer is not yet a clear yes.
The IFS’s analysis is based on a range of official data sources including the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and the Family Resources Survey, with the authors noting that well-documented problems with UK labour market data mean the precise employment figures should be treated with some caution, even as the broader trend is clear across multiple datasets.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
ONS figures show Wales unemployment at highest level since 2015
The national statistics that set the backdrop to today’s IFS findings — Wales already had the worst employment rate of any UK nation.BOTTOM OF THE PILE: Swansea recorded as weakest for jobs in Wales as payroll numbers plunge
The local dimension to the national picture — Swansea sitting at the bottom of the Welsh jobs league table.Amazon says £2.4bn investment has boosted Wales — with Swansea at the centre
The investment case being made for Swansea — and the question of whether it’s closing the gap the IFS has identified.SENEDD SHAKE-UP: Winners and losers revealed as First Minister on course to lose seat
#Business #Economy #employment #IFS #InstituteForFiscalStudies #jobs #livingStandards #pay #unemployment #wages #WelshEconomy
The election context in which today’s IFS report lands — and what the economic picture means for voters on May 7. -
Hungarian Living Standards Improve Despite Years of Crises, Survey Finds
The living conditions of most Hungarians have improved in recent years despite a series of global challenges, according…
#Hungary #HU #Europe #Europa #EU #Economy #families #hír #hungary #Hungarynews #income #KINCS #livingstandards #Magyarország #MáriaKoppInstituteforDemographyandFamilies #society #Survey
https://www.europesays.com/2883000/ -
High streets set for £319 million investment and boost to playgrounds
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/high-streets-set-319-million-36903179
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High streets set for £319 million investment and boost to playgrounds
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/high-streets-set-319-million-36903179
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High streets set for £319 million investment and boost to playgrounds
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/high-streets-set-319-million-36903179
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High streets set for £319 million investment and boost to playgrounds
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/high-streets-set-319-million-36903179
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High streets set for £319 million investment and boost to playgrounds
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/high-streets-set-319-million-36903179
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https://www.europesays.com/uk/803712/ Living standards to be ‘far bleaker’ after 2026 despite Reeves’ claims #Business #economics #Economy #Growth #IFS #InstituteForFiscalStudies(ifs) #KeirStarmer #Labour #LivingStandards #News #OBR #OfficeForBudgetResponsibility(obr) #RachelReeves #ResolutionFoundation #UK #UKEconomy #UKGovernment #UnitedKingdom
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British economist and former Citi trader Gary Stevenson warns that Australia is losing its "fair go" ethos due to a worsening housing crisis and widening wealth gap. During an Australian speaking tour, he told the ABC that governments worldwide are failing to seriously tackle inequality. Stevenson advocates for higher wages, improved housing affordability, and tax reforms that take more from the wealthy to boost living standards for low and middle-income households. He warns that without action, Australia will face the same decline in public services and rise in poverty seen in the UK and Europe. Despite his large YouTube following, Political leaders, trapped in "bubbles," are resistant to changing the economic status quo.
#garystevenson #australia #fairgo #housingcrisis #wealthinequality #economicinequality #taxreform #livingstandards #publicservices #poverty #uk #europe #abcnews #abcbusiness
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British economist and former Citi trader Gary Stevenson warns that Australia is losing its "fair go" ethos due to a worsening housing crisis and widening wealth gap. During an Australian speaking tour, he told the ABC that governments worldwide are failing to seriously tackle inequality. Stevenson advocates for higher wages, improved housing affordability, and tax reforms that take more from the wealthy to boost living standards for low and middle-income households. He warns that without action, Australia will face the same decline in public services and rise in poverty seen in the UK and Europe. Despite his large YouTube following, Political leaders, trapped in "bubbles," are resistant to changing the economic status quo.
#garystevenson #australia #fairgo #housingcrisis #wealthinequality #economicinequality #taxreform #livingstandards #publicservices #poverty #uk #europe #abcnews #abcbusiness
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British economist and former Citi trader Gary Stevenson warns that Australia is losing its "fair go" ethos due to a worsening housing crisis and widening wealth gap. During an Australian speaking tour, he told the ABC that governments worldwide are failing to seriously tackle inequality. Stevenson advocates for higher wages, improved housing affordability, and tax reforms that take more from the wealthy to boost living standards for low and middle-income households. He warns that without action, Australia will face the same decline in public services and rise in poverty seen in the UK and Europe. Despite his large YouTube following, Political leaders, trapped in "bubbles," are resistant to changing the economic status quo.
#garystevenson #australia #fairgo #housingcrisis #wealthinequality #economicinequality #taxreform #livingstandards #publicservices #poverty #uk #europe #abcnews #abcbusiness
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British economist and former Citi trader Gary Stevenson warns that Australia is losing its "fair go" ethos due to a worsening housing crisis and widening wealth gap. During an Australian speaking tour, he told the ABC that governments worldwide are failing to seriously tackle inequality. Stevenson advocates for higher wages, improved housing affordability, and tax reforms that take more from the wealthy to boost living standards for low and middle-income households. He warns that without action, Australia will face the same decline in public services and rise in poverty seen in the UK and Europe. Despite his large YouTube following, Political leaders, trapped in "bubbles," are resistant to changing the economic status quo.
#garystevenson #australia #fairgo #housingcrisis #wealthinequality #economicinequality #taxreform #livingstandards #publicservices #poverty #uk #europe #abcnews #abcbusiness
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British economist and former Citi trader Gary Stevenson warns that Australia is losing its "fair go" ethos due to a worsening housing crisis and widening wealth gap. During an Australian speaking tour, he told the ABC that governments worldwide are failing to seriously tackle inequality. Stevenson advocates for higher wages, improved housing affordability, and tax reforms that take more from the wealthy to boost living standards for low and middle-income households. He warns that without action, Australia will face the same decline in public services and rise in poverty seen in the UK and Europe. Despite his large YouTube following, Political leaders, trapped in "bubbles," are resistant to changing the economic status quo.
#garystevenson #australia #fairgo #housingcrisis #wealthinequality #economicinequality #taxreform #livingstandards #publicservices #poverty #uk #europe #abcnews #abcbusiness
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Starmer will fail to improve living standards
Wednesday 11 February 2026 5:51 am | Updated: Tuesday 10 February 2026 4:54 pm Share Facebook Share on Facebook…
#NewsBeep #News #Economy #Business #Economics #KeirStarmer #Labour #LabourParty #Livingstandards #opinion #Politics #RachelReeves #ResolutionFoundation #UK #UKeconomy #UKGovernment #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/419742/ -
RACHEL REEVES: 'We're building the railways that will change the North - no more broken promises'
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RACHEL REEVES: 'We're building the railways that will change the North - no more broken promises'
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RACHEL REEVES: 'We're building the railways that will change the North - no more broken promises'
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RACHEL REEVES: 'We're building the railways that will change the North - no more broken promises'
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This looks set to be a brilliant event on understanding the needs of lower-income families, with many great speakers, including CPC-CG member Athina Vlachantoni, who will discuss how we should properly value both paid and unpaid work.
Register to attend in person or online on 10 Feb: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/unsung-britain-final-conference/
#demography #socialpolicy #socialscience #families #lowincome #costofliving #inequality #labourmarket #socialmobility #economy #livingstandards #poverty #welfare #caring #ageing #ukpolitics
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This looks set to be a brilliant event on understanding the needs of lower-income families, with many great speakers, including CPC-CG member Athina Vlachantoni, who will discuss how we should properly value both paid and unpaid work.
Register to attend in person or online on 10 Feb: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/unsung-britain-final-conference/
#demography #socialpolicy #socialscience #families #lowincome #costofliving #inequality #labourmarket #socialmobility #economy #livingstandards #poverty #welfare #caring #ageing #ukpolitics
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This looks set to be a brilliant event on understanding the needs of lower-income families, with many great speakers, including CPC-CG member Athina Vlachantoni, who will discuss how we should properly value both paid and unpaid work.
Register to attend in person or online on 10 Feb: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/unsung-britain-final-conference/
#demography #socialpolicy #socialscience #families #lowincome #costofliving #inequality #labourmarket #socialmobility #economy #livingstandards #poverty #welfare #caring #ageing #ukpolitics
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This looks set to be a brilliant event on understanding the needs of lower-income families, with many great speakers, including CPC-CG member Athina Vlachantoni, who will discuss how we should properly value both paid and unpaid work.
Register to attend in person or online on 10 Feb: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/unsung-britain-final-conference/
#demography #socialpolicy #socialscience #families #lowincome #costofliving #inequality #labourmarket #socialmobility #economy #livingstandards #poverty #welfare #caring #ageing #ukpolitics
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This looks set to be a brilliant event on understanding the needs of lower-income families, with many great speakers, including CPC-CG member Athina Vlachantoni, who will discuss how we should properly value both paid and unpaid work.
Register to attend in person or online on 10 Feb: https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/unsung-britain-final-conference/
#demography #socialpolicy #socialscience #families #lowincome #costofliving #inequality #labourmarket #socialmobility #economy #livingstandards #poverty #welfare #caring #ageing #ukpolitics
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Labour must fix cost of living to see off 'disaster' Nigel Farage, warns TUC
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-must-fix-cost-living-36445625
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Labour must fix cost of living to see off 'disaster' Nigel Farage, warns TUC
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-must-fix-cost-living-36445625
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Labour must fix cost of living to see off 'disaster' Nigel Farage, warns TUC
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-must-fix-cost-living-36445625
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Labour must fix cost of living to see off 'disaster' Nigel Farage, warns TUC
https://web.brid.gy/r/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/labour-must-fix-cost-living-36445625
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Remember that the people who supported Brexit said they were fine with this, don't forget to hold them to it now...
#Brexit #Economy #UKPOL #UKPOLITICS #CostOfLivingCrisis #LivingStandards
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Remember that the people who supported Brexit said they were fine with this, don't forget to hold them to it now...
#Brexit #Economy #UKPOL #UKPOLITICS #CostOfLivingCrisis #LivingStandards
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Remember that the people who supported Brexit said they were fine with this, don't forget to hold them to it now...
#Brexit #Economy #UKPOL #UKPOLITICS #CostOfLivingCrisis #LivingStandards
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Remember that the people who supported Brexit said they were fine with this, don't forget to hold them to it now...
#Brexit #Economy #UKPOL #UKPOLITICS #CostOfLivingCrisis #LivingStandards
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Remember that the people who supported Brexit said they were fine with this, don't forget to hold them to it now...
#Brexit #Economy #UKPOL #UKPOLITICS #CostOfLivingCrisis #LivingStandards
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Voters support Budget tax hikes if burden falls on wealthiest, poll shows
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Voters support Budget tax hikes if burden falls on wealthiest, poll shows
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Voters support Budget tax hikes if burden falls on wealthiest, poll shows
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Voters support Budget tax hikes if burden falls on wealthiest, poll shows
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Slash spending and reform taxes, IMF urges Australia
Reviving the Gillard-era mining tax and slashing income taxes should be on the Albanese government’s agenda to boost…
#Economy #Albanesegovernment #australia #Economicperformance #IMF #incometax #incometaxes #indirecttaxes #InternationalMonetaryFund #jimchalmers #livingstandards #personalincometaxes #Propertytaxes #reservebank #taxreform
https://www.europesays.com/2581390/ -
Princess Beatrice and Eugenie’s complicated finances laid bare from luxury mansions to own careers
Princess Beatrice and Eugenie are the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson but are not working royals,…
#NewsBeep #News #Celebrities #AU #Australia #divorce #Entertainment #IvyCottage #JackBrooksbank #jewellery #kensingtonpalace #livingstandards #Marriage #PrinceHarry #princessbeatrice #QueenElizabethTheQueenMother #RoyalFamily #SarahFerguson
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/287089/ -
https://www.europesays.com/uk/572686/ Princess Beatrice and Eugenie’s complicated finances laid bare from luxury mansions to own careers #Celebrities #Divorce #Entertainment #IvyCottage #JackBrooksbank #Jewellery #KensingtonPalace #LivingStandards #Marriage #PrinceHarry #PrincessBeatrice #QueenElizabethTheQueenMother #RoyalFamily #SarahFerguson #UK #UnitedKingdom
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‘I nearly bought ‘saddest ever’ Grand Designs home – but it was nothing like on TV’
Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard has revealed how he nearly bought the million-pound property in Devon dubbed Britain’s ‘saddest…
#NewsBeep #News #TV #EdwardShort #Entertainment #GrandDesigns #Livingstandards #MichaelJackson #tv #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/99518/ -
Holidays are a ‘valued and realistic’ part of later life, says pensions body
Holidays are a “valued and realistic” part of later life, according to a pensions body which sets living…
#NewsBeep #News #Personalfinance #AU #Australia #Business #Finance #financialfreedom #livingstandards #PensionsUK #PersonalFinance #retirementincome #retirementliving #UK
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/59091/ -
Australia’s real economic challenge isn’t welfare dependency — it’s inequality
Economic inequality in Australia is the worst it has been in 20 years — if the goal is…
#NewsBeep #News #Australia #ACOSS #AU #auspol #Australia'scost-of-living #Australianeconomy #employment #livingstandards #ndis #neoliberalism #taxinequality #WEALTHINEQUALITY #welfare #welfaredependency
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/38512/ -
Australia’s real economic challenge isn’t welfare dependency — it’s inequality
Economic inequality in Australia is the worst it has been in 20 years — if the goal is…
#NewsBeep #News #Australia #ACOSS #AU #auspol #Australia'scost-of-living #Australianeconomy #employment #livingstandards #ndis #neoliberalism #taxinequality #WEALTHINEQUALITY #welfare #welfaredependency
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/38512/ -
Australia’s real economic challenge isn’t welfare dependency — it’s inequality
Economic inequality in Australia is the worst it has been in 20 years — if the goal is…
#NewsBeep #News #Australia #ACOSS #AU #auspol #Australia'scost-of-living #Australianeconomy #employment #livingstandards #ndis #neoliberalism #taxinequality #WEALTHINEQUALITY #welfare #welfaredependency
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/38512/ -
Australia’s real economic challenge isn’t welfare dependency — it’s inequality
Economic inequality in Australia is the worst it has been in 20 years — if the goal is…
#NewsBeep #News #Australia #ACOSS #AU #auspol #Australia'scost-of-living #Australianeconomy #employment #livingstandards #ndis #neoliberalism #taxinequality #WEALTHINEQUALITY #welfare #welfaredependency
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/38512/ -
Labour ‘will be forced to reconsider’ state pension triple lock pledge
The policy delivered a 4.1 percent boost to state pension payments this AprilThe triple lock is fast becoming…
#NewsBeep #News #Personalfinance #Business #Finance #LabourParty #Livingstandards #NationalInsuranceCompanyLtd. #Pensions #PersonalFinance #Politics #Statepension #UK #UnitedKingdom
https://www.newsbeep.com/uk/9713/ -
https://www.europesays.com/uk/110258/ bne IntelliNews – United States has image problem in Central Asia #attitudes #CentralAsia #Democracy #DemocracyPerceptionIndex #LivingStandards #putin #SocialJustice #Survey #trump #UnitedStates #us #USA
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“If you look at a long period of time, a lot of our increase in #LivingStandards seems to be coming from public investment in #scientific #research. The rates of return are just really high,”said Andrew Fieldhouse, a Texas A&M economist & an author of the Dallas Fed study.
Political leaders in earlier [smarter] eras appeared to recognize that payoff.
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“If you look at a long period of time, a lot of our increase in #LivingStandards seems to be coming from public investment in #scientific #research. The rates of return are just really high,”said Andrew Fieldhouse, a Texas A&M economist & an author of the Dallas Fed study.
Political leaders in earlier [smarter] eras appeared to recognize that payoff.
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“If you look at a long period of time, a lot of our increase in #LivingStandards seems to be coming from public investment in #scientific #research. The rates of return are just really high,”said Andrew Fieldhouse, a Texas A&M economist & an author of the Dallas Fed study.
Political leaders in earlier [smarter] eras appeared to recognize that payoff.
