Sarah O'Connor

Tuesday, 31 January, 2023

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

Tuesday, 4 October, 2022

Health

Making the poor poorer is a false economy

Better than cutting benefits would be to get tough on the causes of welfare spending

Tuesday, 27 September, 2022

UK employment

Kwarteng’s policies won’t get inactive Britain working again

The labour force needs investment in health, social care and childcare

Thursday, 22 September, 2022

ExplainerRobotics14 min

Will Tesla's Optimus robot become a reality? | FT Tech

Elon Musk wants to put humanoid robots in his factories - and in your home

Tuesday, 20 September, 2022

UK labour productivity

Are the British really the worst idlers in the world?

Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng’s early characterisation of the UK workforce does not entirely stand up to scrutiny

Tuesday, 13 September, 2022

Corporate culture

The term ‘quiet quitting’ is worse than nonsense

If your staff turn up every day, do exactly what you ask of them, but don’t go above and beyond, they are still working

Tuesday, 6 September, 2022

Trade unions

Forget the 1970s — strikes signal a dysfunctional labour market

Liz Truss is wrong to think deep economic problems can be magicked away with new anti-union rules

Tuesday, 30 August, 2022

Artificial intelligence

Actors worry that AI is taking centre stage

Synthetic voices may not be as good but they can still threaten human talent’s work and rights

Tuesday, 23 August, 2022

Property sector

Why I couldn’t have been more wrong about big city rents

The pandemic has led to lasting changes in the way we work, but that hasn’t made cities more affordable

Employment columnist

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