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Ian Brinkley

Ian Brinkley

Director, The Work Foundation

Email: ibrinkley@theworkfoundation.com

Telephone: 020 7976 3606


Ian is Director of The Work Foundation, having joined The Work Foundation in June 2006. He was formerly Director of the Knowledge Economy Programme and Director of Socio-Economic Programmes. 

Ian's previous appointments include with the Trades Union Congress (1980–2006), where he was Head of the Economic and Social Affairs Department (2004–2006) and its Chief Economist (1996–2006). Prior to 1980, he worked as a researcher at the University of Kent and the Centre for Environmental Studies.

He was a member of the Low Pay Commission, the body that sets the UK’s national minimum wage (NMW), from 2004–2006.

Ian has worked in a wide range of economic and industrial policy and research areas, including: economic policy; public spending and public service reform; labour markets; energy and the environment; and manufacturing policy. He has produced numerous submissions to government and analytical papers.

He regularly provides economic and labour market commentary, interviews and articles for The Work Foundation.

Ian's recent publications as sole author for The Work Foundation include: Defining the Knowledge Economy (2006); Trading in Ideas and Knowledge (2007); Enterprise and the Knowledge Economy (2008); Manufacturing and the Knowledge Economy (2009); Recession and the Knowledge Economy (2009); How Knowledge is Reshaping the Economic Life of Nations (2009); Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (2010); and Knowledge Economy Strategy 2020 (2010).

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Related Reports

Budget 2013: An assessment from The Work Foundation
A reaction from our experts on different aspects of the 2013 Budget.

Ian Brinkley, Paul Sissons, Hiba Sameen, Neil Lee, Charles Levy, Prateek Sureka and Stephen Bevan
22 March 2013

Autumn Statement Submission
In its submission to the 2012 Autumn Statement, The Work Foundation calls on the Chancellor to make Britain a world leader in new technologies and innovation.

Ian Brinkley, Charles Levy, Hiba Sameen
27 November 2012

Public Loss, Private Gain?
The report looks at the labour market impact and implications of the cuts already planned and implemented in the public service workforce. However, despite the unprecedented scale, pace, and focus of the cuts, a lack of overall workforce planning means the longer term implications for the labour market, women’s employment, regional balance, and the skills of the public sector workforce are almost impossible to predict. In that sense the government is flying blind.

Ian Brinkley
19 October 2012

Related Blogs

Underemployment among part-timers – how the UK compares internationally
Ian Brinkley writes on underemployment among part-timers in the UK economy.

Ian Brinkley
15 May 2013

Robots and humans
The Work Foundation 2013 Annual Debate takes a look at the future – are we in danger of being replaced by robots and will artificial enhancement of people’s cognitive abilities and performance start to have a real impact on the workplace?

Ian Brinkley
15 May 2013

Labour Day 2013
A reflection on the current state of the labour market given it's Labour Day today (1 May)

Ian Brinkley
01 May 2013

Related News

Economic reality catches up with labour market as unemployment rises and wage growth stalls
Commenting on today’s labour market statistics, Ian Brinkley, director of The Work Foundation, said: “As we predicted, economic reality has caught up with the labour market. The jobs recovery of 2012 appears to have stalled.

Ian Brinkley
17 April 2013

Budget measures do nothing for UK’s economic prospects
“The Budget measures will have no measurable impact on economic prospects. The priority should have been significant new investment in science, technology and innovation and in measures to address youth unemployment, rather than corporation tax cuts. “The new employment allowance for new hires is likely to be less wasteful than some past schemes, but will only have a limited impact on the labour market.”


20 March 2013

More in work but unemployment remains stubbornly high
Commenting on today’s labour market statistics, Ian Brinkley, director at The Work Foundation, said that more people are in work, but there are clear warning signs that the run of exceptionally good news from the labour market may be coming to an end.

Ian Brinkley
20 March 2013