IFS Zooms In: The Economy

The inequality of 'good jobs'

June 25, 2026·45 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

What makes a job “good”? Is it pay, flexibility, progression, security, purpose, autonomy, or the people you work with?Policy debates about inequality often focus on wages and getting people into work. But jobs are about much more than income. The quality of work affects people’s health, wellbeing, productivity, family life and future opportunities.In this episode, Helen Miller is joined by Jonathan Cribb and Naomi Clayton, Chief Executive of the Institute for Employment Studies, to explore what good work really means, who gets access to good jobs, and what government can do to improve the quality of work in the UK.They discuss inequalities in pay, gender and geography, the importance of progression and training, the rise of flexible and insecure work, the role of employment rights, and how trends such as AI could shape the future of jobs.This is the fourth and final episode in our series on inequality.This episode draws on work done as part of the IFS-Deaton Review, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.Become a member: https://ifs.org.uk/individual-membershipFind out more: https://ifs.org.uk/podcasts-explainers-and-calculators/podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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