New research has found that three quarters of HR leaders believe that cost-of-living pressures are affecting employee performance.

Higher education is key to opening up opportunity, especially for those from less advantaged backgrounds, yet new evidence reveals that it is those young people particularly who are losing out on the chance to go to university.

In 2019, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out his agenda to “level up the country” hope was high for a future where opportunity is spread evenly and reaches talent wherever it is. As the government set out these plans, it made the mission clear, to ‘end the geographical inequality which is such a striking feature of the UK.’

A recent report1 has highlighted the stark divide in health and wealth in the UK, with people living in the most deprived parts of the country more than twice as likely to be in poor health as those living in the most affluent.

National Apprenticeship Week is a great time to celebrate apprenticeships and the huge benefits they bring for both employee and employer, not least because they are also a key driver of social mobility - crucial for delivering opportunity and boosting productivity and growth.

A new partnership was announced today as Open Access train companies Lumo and Hull Trains joined forces with the Purpose Coalition to focus on their social impact.

The Pledge has been backed by The Rt Hon Sir George Howarth MP; Cllr Shaun Davies, Leader of the Local Government Association Labour Group and Candidate for Telford, and Michelle Scrogham, Labour’s candidate for Barrow and Furness in Cumbria.

Nick Forbes CBE, former Member of Keir Starmer’s Shadow Cabinet has today hosted an ‘AI for Opportunity’ event in Westminster, exploring how the next Labour government can break down barriers to opportunity through tech.

Social Enterprise The Wise Group has launched a new Relational Mentoring report at a major event in the House of Commons, hosted by Shadow Minister Chi Onwurah MP and attended by dozens of cross-party MPs including Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee Rt Hon Sir Stephen Timms, Employment Minister Jo Churchill, SNP Shadow Spokespersons.

As we reach the end of January with its short days and grey skies it's time for a bit of cheer in the air. I have been really impressed this month how many employers are prioritising their employee's mental health and wellbeing.

Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington, has visited Tees Valley Hospital to see how Ramsay Health Care UK is delivering high quality healthcare for patients across Teesside, South Durham and North Yorkshire.

The University of Salford is teaming up with the Purpose Coalition to participate in the Raising Standards, Creating Opportunities campaign and to further develop its work on social impact.

Shoosmiths has today published a report in partnership with the Purpose Coalition, which highlights the extensive progress the law firm has made in the area of social mobility.

As election day in Britain draws ever closer and Labour’s lead shows no sign yet of weakening, the political forecasting industry is switching from debating whether Labour will win to the size of the incoming Labour government’s majority.

As Britain gears up for a general election later this year, recent polling by YouGov - released this week - shows a dramatic lead for the Labour Party, projecting a victory reminiscent of the 1997 landslide.

New research has laid bare the huge economic and social inequalities that impact health outcomes across England, with one million people dying prematurely as a result in the decade after 2011.

It’s election year, and as many political commentators would say, it will be the most important in decades (since the last one, anyway).

The Wise Group and Purpose Coalition have partnered to launch a Commission on Breaking Down Barriers to Employment Opportunity, bringing together experts and stakeholders to address key challenges in employment accessibility for vulnerable groups.

In the five years I’ve had the privilege of writing a monthly Saturday column, Britain has gone through huge change. When I first wrote we were entering what would be the dog-days of Theresa May’s turbulent premiership. Buffeted by Brexit winds, they ultimately caused her downfall.

Calls to report the class pay gap have accompanied new research which reveals that people from working-class backgrounds are paid over £6000 less per year than those from professional or managerial backgrounds in the same occupation.