Labour Market Briefing: August 2026
Presents Learning and Work Institute’s analysis of the ONS labour market statistics published on 18 August 2026, offering commentary on employment, unemployment and labour market trends for August 2026.
UK policy, filtered.
Everything government, Parliament, the statistical agencies and the major policy institutes published — read, summarised and ranked so you can skim the day in a minute.
483 articles · 25 live sources · updated 1h ago
Labour demand volumes by Standard Occupation Classification (SOC 2020), UK, January 2017 to July 2026
Monthly tables of online job adverts by local authority and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 2020), covering labour demand from January 2017 through July 2026.
Labour demand volumes by Standard Occupation Classification (SOC 2020), UK: January 2017 to July 2026
Tables present numbers of online job adverts by local authority and occupation (SOC 2020), covering labour demand volumes in the UK from January 2017 through July 2026, enabling sub‑national and occupation‑level analysis.
Labour market stats response, August 2026
Learning and Work Institute chief executive Stephen Evans gives an immediate response to the Office for National Statistics' latest labour market data for August 2026, analysing implications for employment, vacancies and policy priorities.
Labour market dashboard
Learning and Work Institute publishes a monthly interactive labour market dashboard, offering detailed, timely analysis of the latest ONS statistics on employment, unemployment and related labour-market indicators.
Very well done here, vry well done that men
Contends that calls for Andy Burnham to prosecute firms over widespread bogus self‑employment are ironic, while noting a Fabian Society and Joseph Rowntree Foundation report warning that millions—including four million gig workers—miss out on statutory employment rights.
Is teen summer employment in the U.S. rebounding after a long fade?
US teen summer employment among 16–19‑year‑olds was 35.5% this summer, a slight rise from 2025 but well below pre‑2000 rates when over half typically worked, signalling a long‑term decline in adolescent labour market participation.
We do not believe the AFL-CIO in their estimate of the Labor Share
The piece criticises an AFL‑CIO claim that workers’ share of US national income is at a post‑war low, arguing the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates of wages and output — and resulting labour share calculations — are contestable.
Andy Burnham is right to devolve employment support
Argues that Andy Burnham’s plan to take control of employment support is justified, endorsing devolution of those services to Greater Manchester to tailor job support more closely to local labour market needs.
July WorkerTech Round-Up
The July WorkerTech round-up highlights two major developments: DWP’s new Pathways to Work Innovation Fund and sizeable changes to vocational education designed to tackle youth unemployment, plus other WorkerTech-relevant announcements.
The good work effect
Argues that boosting job quality — pay, security, working conditions and progression — strengthens the labour market and supports a sustained jobs recovery, outlining how policy can shift employers towards ‘good work’.