Weekly Digest – 15 February 2023

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward.

Brexit may have hit us harder than we thought

Bank of England policymaker Jonathan Haskel says the UK suffered more of a productivity slowdown than other large economies because of Brexit – to the tune of £29bn, or £1,000 per household. The Treasury disputes these figures.

Heathrow gets busier as strike action looms

Heathrow Airport recorded its busiest January since the start of the pandemic, with 5.4 million passengers passing through in January.

Amazon strike action escalates over pay

The GMB union says hundreds of workers at an Amazon warehouse in Coventry will take further industrial action on 28 February, 2 March and between 13-17 March.

Skills crisis forces companies to raise wages

UK firms are preparing for the most significant pay rises in history as they struggle to fill vacancies. Nearly two-thirds of London businesses are still looking for enough workers.

Ministers launch BNPL consultation

The government is consulting on new rules to regulate the booming buy now, lay pater sector, including more robust protection for consumers.

We must raise taxes to reach climate targets

The UK has made good progress towards achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but more investment in new technologies is needed – and that is likely to come in the form of higher taxes.

Worker shortage has many contributing factors

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says stronger benefits rules have boosted employment in the UK. However, many workers are trapped in dead-end jobs, and nobody is incentivised to move from part-time to full-time work.

Disney cutting 7000 jobs

Reinstalled Chief Executive Bob Iger is seeking to cut $5.5 billion USD from its annual costs to drive profits. He is also under pressure to make Disney+ profitable and find new ways to monetise the Disney catalogue.

Australian psychiatry professor seeks to redefine burnout

Gordon Parker, the founder of the Black Dog Institute, argues that burnout is not just a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Instead, it’s a more wide-ranging condition that must be redefined to learn how to prevent it.

Farewell to Lilt

After nearly 50 years on UK shelves, the tropical fizzy drink Lilt is being scrapped. It will be replaced by a new flavour of Fanta.

Weekly Digests