Jobs and work

22 August 2024

9.4 million people are classed as economically inactive, not unemployed

A post on Threads claims 9.4 million people in Britain are unemployed, but technically this is the number in the UK who are ‘economically inactive’, not the number who are actively looking for work.

1 May 2024

Work and pensions secretary incorrectly claims PIP is worth ‘thousands of pounds a month’

Individuals receiving the highest weekly amount for both parts of the benefit receive around £800 a month.

10 March 2023

The UK doesn’t have more job vacancies than unemployed people

A column by former work and pensions secretary Chloe Smith was corrected after we contacted the MP about the error.

24 February 2023

Newspapers and health minister understate junior doctors’ pay demand

Junior doctors are asking for a pay rise of about 35%—not 26%, which is how much their union says their pay has fallen by since 2008-9.

27 January 2023

Jeff Bezos couldn’t give every Amazon worker £90,000

A bonus suggested by the Labour MP Zarah Sultana would cost more than Mr Bezos’s reported total wealth, let alone any wealth he gained during the pandemic.

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16 December 2022

Health minister’s claims on nurse pay fact checked

Maria Caulfield MP made a number of claims about how much nurse pay increases would cost during multiple media appearances.

14 December 2022

Unemployment in the UK is currently low by historic standards

The shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed that Britain has “high unemployment” after 12 years of Conservative government. But by historic standards, the unemployment rate is currently very low.

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13 December 2022

Survey didn't find one in ten young people plan ‘never’ to work

The figure used by Rod Liddle in a Sun column only describes the percentage of those who are already not working. The true proportion is more like one in 25.

25 November 2022

Steve Barclay’s figure for new nurses’ pay includes extra earnings

The health secretary said that a new nurse will typically earn over £31,000 a year on current pay. This is an estimate that includes extra earnings such as overtime. Basic pay for a new nurse is aroun

25 November 2022

How much of the rise in ‘economic inactivity’ is due to long Covid?

A BBC news bulletin claimed a recent rise in the number of people who are neither working nor looking for work is “largely because of long Covid”. But there are reasons to believe much of the rise is

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About

9.4 million people are classed as economically inactive, not unemployed

Work and pensions secretary incorrectly claims PIP is worth ‘thousands of pounds a month’

The UK doesn’t have more job vacancies than unemployed people

Newspapers and health minister understate junior doctors’ pay demand

Jeff Bezos couldn’t give every Amazon worker £90,000

Health minister’s claims on nurse pay fact checked

Unemployment in the UK is currently low by historic standards

Survey didn't find one in ten young people plan ‘never’ to work

Steve Barclay’s figure for new nurses’ pay includes extra earnings

How much of the rise in ‘economic inactivity’ is due to long Covid?

Full Fact fights bad information