Sarah O'Connor

Tuesday, 28 March, 2023

Saturday, 25 March, 2023

Special ReportWorld of Work

My first job: what I wish I had known

Tips to make a good impression from the start, from those who have been there before

Tuesday, 21 March, 2023

UK employment

Now is not the moment to push people into just any job

Forcing the unemployed into low-paid work isn’t a good solution to today’s labour market problems

Wednesday, 8 March, 2023

Economists Exchange

Alan Manning: ‘Achieving growth by just having more people is not what we should aim for’

The UK government’s former immigration adviser considers whether Britain’s post-Brexit migrant strategy has worked

Tuesday, 7 March, 2023

Coronavirus economic impact

The plight of ship crews stranded at sea

Maritime workers are a vital link in supply chains but have little visibility and little protection

Tuesday, 28 February, 2023

UK business & economy

Here’s how to stop an ever sicker workforce dropping out

Occupational therapists may provide one practical solution to those struggling with their physical or mental health

Tuesday, 14 February, 2023

UK employment

It is possible to hate your job but love your work

People find meaning in all kinds of employment — but that can be eroded by low pay, bureaucracy and squeezed resources

Tuesday, 7 February, 2023

Education

We should all be asking more questions

Fear of looking ‘stupid’ holds us back from understanding the world better

Tuesday, 31 January, 2023

Employment

The kids are alright after all

It was feared the pandemic would harm young people’s job prospects but so far that doesn’t appear to be true

Tuesday, 24 January, 2023

Economic statistics

How (not) to explain economics to the public

The UK chancellor’s attempt to do so risked exacerbating an already significant deficit of trust and understanding

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

Working It podcast19 min listen

Is maternity leave still a career killer?

There is enduring stigma around motherhood in the workplace

Tuesday, 17 January, 2023

Employment

In labour markets, the devil is often in the detail

Non-compete clauses buried in contracts stack the deck against workers

Tuesday, 10 January, 2023

Employment

Solving strikes is not about winning the argument

Creative solutions are needed if we are to unlock the current disputes

Tuesday, 3 January, 2023

Social affairs

It is getting harder for charities to maintain the social safety net

The cash-strapped voluntary sector does things the state used to, including providing basic necessities

Tuesday, 20 December, 2022

UK employment

Has the pendulum really swung from capital to labour?

Worker power hasn’t strengthened as much as expected in 2022

Thursday, 15 December, 2022

UK employment

What if work is making us sick?

While employment has become less physically dangerous, it seems to have become more psychologically harmful

Tuesday, 6 December, 2022

Ageing Populations

Do you really want to live to be 100?

‘Healthy life expectancy’ is an important measure of what people want — and in the UK, it’s not looking good

Tuesday, 29 November, 2022

UK energy

Britain is two countries when it comes to energy

The combination of prepayment meters, vulnerable customers and a cost of living crisis is a bad one

Tuesday, 22 November, 2022

Mental health

There is a deepening mental health recession

Many countries are struggling with a rise in the numbers of people reporting problems with anxiety and depression

Tuesday, 15 November, 2022

Technology

Tech lay-offs teach us a lesson about the ‘war for talent’

Benevolent workplace dictatorships can seem fine until they’re not so benevolent any more

Tuesday, 15 November, 2022

News in-depthNews in-depth3 min

Can rapid delivery apps get back on track? | FT Transact

The FT’s Sarah O’Connor looks at what’s behind the downloads dive, and options available for companies affected

Tuesday, 1 November, 2022

UK interest rates

How will we remember the age of cheap money?

The end of low interest rates is stripping off a veneer of affluence

Wednesday, 26 October, 2022

UK immigration

Immigration policy will not cure Britain’s labour market ills

The tired debate over migrants being either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ has never served the country well

Tuesday, 18 October, 2022

UK public services

Hunt still has a fiscal hole to fill, but Britain’s fabric is fraying

After a decade of austerity, public services are not an easy target to cut

Tuesday, 11 October, 2022

UK financial crisis

Most people don’t know what GDP growth is

And that is a problem for Liz Truss, who has made it her governing mantra

Employment columnist

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