Latest news with #InstituteforPublicPolicyResearch
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
North of England lost out on £140bn for transport in ‘decade of deceit'
The north of England could have built the equivalent of seven Elizabeth lines with the transport funding it has missed out on during 'a decade of deceit', research shows. If the north had received the same per-person spending as London, it would have had an extra £140bn over the last 10 years, analysis of Treasury figures by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and IPPR North has found. In the decade to 2022-23, London received £1,183 per person per year while the north got less than half of that – £486 of transport spending per person. The figure for the north-west was £540, there was £441 spent per person in Yorkshire and the Humber, and as little as £430 in the north-east. The East Midlands fared even worse, with an average of £355 per person spent – less than a third of that received by London. Related: The north of England had high hopes for this government. Why is it only offering us crumbs from the south? | Peter Hetherington Marcus Johns, a senior research fellow at IPPR North, said: 'Today's figures are concrete proof that promises made to the north over the last decade were hollow. It was a decade of deceit. 'We are 124 years on from the end of Queen Victoria's reign, yet the north is still running on infrastructure built during her reign, while our transport chasm widens. This isn't London-bashing – Londoners absolutely deserve investment. But £1,182 per person for London and £486 for northerners? The numbers don't lie – this isn't right.' He added: 'Ministers have begun to restore fairness with their big bet on transport cash for city leaders. They should continue on this journey to close this investment gap in the upcoming spending review and decades ahead'. Last week the government announced what it called the biggest-ever investment in city local transport, after decades of underfunding. Rachel Reeves pledged to invest £15bn in the spending review this Wednesday to improve trams, trains and buses outside the capital, after rewriting Treasury investment rules to be able to increase spending on parts of the country that need it most. Related: The Guardian view on Labour's investment plans: sugaring the bitter pill of austerity | Editorial The announcement is thought to be one of a number ways the government is responding to the threat of Reform, as polls show the rightwing party is gaining ground across the UK, particularly outside major cities. But IPPR North said the government needed to go further. The thinktank is partnering with Jim O'Neill, a former Treasury minister and the chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, to call for Great Northern Rail, a large-scale plan to build and improve rail networks across the north of England. Lord O'Neill said Reeves needed to use the spending. 'Good governance requires the guts to take a long-term approach, not just quick fixes,' he said. 'So the chancellor is right in her focus on the UK's longstanding supply-side weaknesses – namely our woeful productivity and weak private and public investment. 'Backing major infrastructure is the right call, and this spending review is the right time for the chancellor to place a big bet on northern growth and begin to close this investment chasm. But it's going to take more than commitments alone – she'll need to set out a transparent framework for delivery.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stop hiring humans? Business leaders face AI labour arbitrage
Advertising almost always appeals to the aspirational. But AI platform, has bucked this convention by plastering fear all over the London Underground. The provocative strapline 'Stop Hiring Humans: The Age of the AI Employee is Here' is part of a poster adverting campaign on London's public transport that taps into deep public mistrust that AI will replace human work. The Stop Hiring Humans ad campaign coincided with London Tech Week (9 June), opened by Prime Minister Keir Starmer who acknowledged the skepticism around AI job displacement, citing social fear of AI as an even bigger barrier to adoption than regulation. Starmer, nevertheless, urged the audience of technology professionals and business leaders, 'I think we have to lean in', as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, with whom he shared the stage, urged the audience to view AI as a great equaliser. "The way you program AI is the same way you program a person,' said Huang, noting that almost anyone can program AI because while not everyone can code, everyone knows 'human'. Huang's point was intended to be a reassuring reminder that an AI future is accessible to all. But the UK's Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) warns of an AI job apocalypse in which eight million jobs in the UK could be at risk due to AI advancements. The report highlights that, as of March 2024, AI affected 11% of tasks performed by UK workers, a figure that could rise to 60% as organisations further integrate AI technologies. Starmer's very presence at the event demonstrates just how important the technology industry, and AI, have become to the nation's global competitiveness. Starmer noted that in 2023 the UK's AI sector grew 30 times that of any other sector. With such dynamic growth, a propensity to underplay the associated risks may well be expected. In June, IBM published a survey of 2,000 CEOs from 33 countries and 24 industries carried out between February and April 2025 which found that 58% say they are pushing their organisation to adopt generative AI more quickly than some people find comfortable, and 64% recognise the potential productivity gains are so great they must accept significant risk to stay competitive. Cloud customer service platform Zendesk's CEO Tom Eggemeier says that among the company's clients to have heavily invested in AI driven automation, hiring has actually increased by 3% on average. And while Eggemeier predicts 80% of customer service enquiries will be automated by 2030, this has not meant job displacement – so far. 'A lot of companies are taking savings from automation and reinvesting it into humans to do more sophisticated tasks, and interacting at the root cause of problems. We haven't seen any labour force decrease materially,' he says, adding: 'It could in the future.' To date, GenAI has not significantly impacted the workforce, despite widespread concerns, says GlobalData principal analyst, Isabel Al-Dhahir, because GenAI tools have yet to demonstrate the requisite level of autonomy and Al-Dhahir says the emergence of agentic AI and advanced reasoning models will notably impact workforce structures, as this is among its intended purposes. 'Numerous startups focused on agentic AI, with an emphasis on enhancing workplace efficiency, cite the reduction of headcount growth as one of their principal advantages,' she says. On 9 June, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei publicly referred to AI as precipitating a 'white-collar bloodbath', predicting that half of entry level roles will be eliminated by 2030. Just as 'Stop Hiring Humans' advertising campaign grabbed public attention, so too do the gloomy assertions of public figures like Amodei. But Anthropic's own research, published in Feb 2025, demonstrates a much more nuanced and far less certain outlook. Analysing millions of conversations on Anthropic's the company's research sought to demonstrate empirical AI usage patterns. To Dahir's point on role augmentation versus role automation, the analysis revealed that this difference matters for both workers and productivity. 'When AI serves as an augmentative partner rather than a replacement, studies have shown improved productivity while maintaining individuals' meaningful engagement in their work,' according to the report. The report demonstrated that current usage splits nearly evenly between automation (43%) and augmentation (57%) of human capabilities. The research is careful to note that these findings only describe the very early cycle of AI transformation the market is currently in. 'As AI systems expand beyond text to handle video, speech, and physical actions through robotics, and as AI agents become more capable of carrying out extended tasks autonomously, the nature of human-AI collaboration is poised to transform dramatically,' according to the report. New tasks and even entirely new occupations may emerge around these capabilities, according to the report, something that is repeatedly offered by tech leaders as a leap of faith antidote to fears around job displacement. But Al-Dhahir warns: 'If tech leaders become overly reliant on their new digital colleagues, they risk overlooking opportunities for new job creation where humans remain the superior choice. C-suite strategy should therefore not be focused exclusively on where AI can improve its operations, but also on how necessary human skills will be complementary,' adds Al-Dhahir. The research also found peak usage of AI in mid-to-high wage occupations, with 'notably lower usage at both extremes of the wage distribution' which does, indeed, reflect Amodei's public rhetoric around the loss of white-collar work. There are some instances where AI augmentation can fill an employee void. Zoom's head of solution engineering for EMEA, Helen Hawthorn, sees AI as an invisible colleague to take on the routine tasks that keep employees from focusing on their core roles. Hawthorn notes the example of where companies have eliminated executive assistant roles and employees are overwhelmed with additional administrative tasks. 'Executive assistant roles are either disappearing, or they've disappeared already. Companies are saying, you now do it. That's actually meant longer days for most people,' says Hawthorn. 'A virtual executive assistant means you're not having to work every day of the week,' she adds noting that this leaves more time for higher value work. Hawthorne's point tallies with Anthropic's research which identified a pattern of AI currently affecting only a subset of tasks within jobs, suggesting occupations will evolve rather than disappear. 'However, if the breadth of task usage grows without signs of saturation, that may suggest the possibility of a more comprehensive workplace transition,' according to the report. Even if tech leaders choose to implement AI for augmentation rather than full automation of roles, gaining employee trust is a continuing challenge. The risk of employee backlash, and the optics of wholesale layoffs in favour of automation, are real. In April, Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke announced that employees requesting more resources would need to prove they 'cannot get what they want done using AI,' according to an internal memo posted to X. The best AI implementation route focuses on enabling the people who can turn uncertainty into action, says Aleksandra Osipova, an AI strategist and founder of Apricity Lab. "Imagine two scenarios. One: you buy the tools, hire the agency, and your team watches from the sidelines, disconnected, anxious, and increasingly you upskill your existing talent. You give them the structure, support, and green light to experiment. Now they're not just using AI, they're building with it. They're creating internal solutions, launching new initiatives, and exploring entirely new revenue streams," says Osipova. "The best strategy in a fast-moving market is not automation, it's activation. Your best people are already in the room. Give them momentum,' she adds. Lütke's strategy was a little more heavy handed. 'What would this area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team? This question can lead to really fun discussions and projects,' Lütke asked his employees along with adding AI usage questions to performance and peer reviews. None of which went any way to addressing the fear that their employer might, one day, stop hiring humans. "Stop hiring humans? Business leaders face AI labour arbitrage" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
£140bn of transport investment missed over last government says new report
The North of England would have received an extra £140 billion in transport investment under the previous government if funding levels had been the same as in London, research has claimed. Independent analysis by think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) looked at Treasury figures between 2009/10 and 2022/23, during which time the Conservatives were in power. It reached the figure, which it said was enough to build seven Elizabeth Lines, by considering the amount of spending per person across the different English regions over that period. While England as a whole saw £592 spent per person each year, London received double that amount with £1,183 spent per person, the IPPR said. The entire North region saw £486 spent per person, with the North East and North West seeing £430 and £540 spent per person respectively. READ MORE: Upgrades to Energy Coast train line 'crucial' for Cumbria | News and Star Cumbrian MPs have called for a 'major upgrade' of the Cumbrian coast train line to help boost economic growth. Former prime minister Rishi Sunak promised to 'upgrade' the energy coast train line linking Carlisle, Workington and Barrow after cancelling the leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester.
South Wales Argus
09-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
North missed £140bn of transport investment during last government
Independent analysis by think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) looked at Treasury figures between 2009/10 and 2022/23, during which time the Conservatives were in power. It reached the figure, which it said was enough to build seven Elizabeth Lines, by considering the amount of spending per person across the different English regions over that period. While England as a whole saw £592 spent per person each year, London received double that amount with £1,183 spent per person, the IPPR said. The entire North region saw £486 spent per person, with the North East and North West seeing £430 and £540 spent per person respectively. This amounted to £140 billion of missed investment for the North, more than the entire £83 billion estimate of capital spending on transport in the region since 1999/2000, according to the analysis. The region with the lowest amount of investment over the period was the East Midlands with just £355 spent per person. Among the most divisive transport investment projects for the previous government was the HS2 rail project, which was axed north of Birmingham in October 2023. Then-prime minister Rishi Sunak pledged to 'reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands', including improvements to road, rail and bus schemes. Earlier this week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a £15.6 billion package for mayoral authorities to use on public transport projects across the North and Midlands ahead of the spending review. It is expected to include funding to extend the metros in Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, along with a renewed tram network in South Yorkshire and a new mass transit system in West Yorkshire. Rachel Reeves has set out plans for new transport investment in the North and Midlands (Peter Byrne/PA) Marcus Johns, senior research fellow at IPPR North, said: 'Today's figures are concrete proof that promises made to the North over the last decade were hollow. It was a decade of deceit. 'We are 124 years on from the end of Queen Victoria's reign, yet the North is still running on infrastructure built during her rein – while our transport chasm widens. 'This isn't London bashing – Londoners absolutely deserve investment. But £1,182 per person for London and £486 for northerners? The numbers don't lie – this isn't right. 'This Government have begun to restore fairness with their big bet on transport cash for city leaders. 'They should continue on this journey to close this investment gap in the upcoming spending review and decades ahead.' Former Treasury minister Lord Jim O'Neill said: 'Good governance requires the guts to take a long-term approach, not just quick fixes. So the Chancellor is right in her focus on the UK's long-standing supply-side weaknesses – namely our woeful productivity and weak private and public investment. 'Backing major infrastructure is the right call, and this spending review is the right time for the Chancellor to place a big bet on northern growth and begin to close this investment chasm. 'But it's going to take more than commitments alone – she'll need to set out a transparent framework for delivery.' Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: 'For too long, the North of England has been treated as a poor relation to the South when it comes to government spending on transport infrastructure, and this analysis makes stark reading – exposing the vast scale of underfunding over many years. 'The Chancellor's announcement of £2.5 billion funding for transport in Greater Manchester will be a game-changer for our city-region, enabling us to expand the Bee Network, and deliver the UK's first, zero emission, integrated, public transport system by 2030. 'We have also made the case for a new Liverpool-Manchester railway, which would further rebalance infrastructure investment, and could boost the UK economy by £90 billion by 2040.'
Powys County Times
09-06-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
North missed £140bn of transport investment during last government
The North of England would have received an extra £140 billion in transport investment under the previous government if funding levels had been the same as in London, research has claimed. Independent analysis by think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) looked at Treasury figures between 2009/10 and 2022/23, during which time the Conservatives were in power. It reached the figure, which it said was enough to build seven Elizabeth Lines, by considering the amount of spending per person across the different English regions over that period. While England as a whole saw £592 spent per person each year, London received double that amount with £1,183 spent per person, the IPPR said. The entire North region saw £486 spent per person, with the North East and North West seeing £430 and £540 spent per person respectively. This amounted to £140 billion of missed investment for the North, more than the entire £83 billion estimate of capital spending on transport in the region since 1999/2000, according to the analysis. The region with the lowest amount of investment over the period was the East Midlands with just £355 spent per person. Among the most divisive transport investment projects for the previous government was the HS2 rail project, which was axed north of Birmingham in October 2023. Then-prime minister Rishi Sunak pledged to 'reinvest every single penny, £36 billion, in hundreds of new transport projects in the North and the Midlands', including improvements to road, rail and bus schemes. Earlier this week, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a £15.6 billion package for mayoral authorities to use on public transport projects across the North and Midlands ahead of the spending review. It is expected to include funding to extend the metros in Tyne and Wear, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, along with a renewed tram network in South Yorkshire and a new mass transit system in West Yorkshire. Marcus Johns, senior research fellow at IPPR North, said: 'Today's figures are concrete proof that promises made to the North over the last decade were hollow. It was a decade of deceit. 'We are 124 years on from the end of Queen Victoria's reign, yet the North is still running on infrastructure built during her rein – while our transport chasm widens. 'This isn't London bashing – Londoners absolutely deserve investment. But £1,182 per person for London and £486 for northerners? The numbers don't lie – this isn't right. 'This Government have begun to restore fairness with their big bet on transport cash for city leaders. 'They should continue on this journey to close this investment gap in the upcoming spending review and decades ahead.' Former Treasury minister Lord Jim O'Neill said: 'Good governance requires the guts to take a long-term approach, not just quick fixes. So the Chancellor is right in her focus on the UK's long-standing supply-side weaknesses – namely our woeful productivity and weak private and public investment. 'Backing major infrastructure is the right call, and this spending review is the right time for the Chancellor to place a big bet on northern growth and begin to close this investment chasm. 'But it's going to take more than commitments alone – she'll need to set out a transparent framework for delivery.' Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said: 'For too long, the North of England has been treated as a poor relation to the South when it comes to government spending on transport infrastructure, and this analysis makes stark reading – exposing the vast scale of underfunding over many years. 'The Chancellor's announcement of £2.5 billion funding for transport in Greater Manchester will be a game-changer for our city-region, enabling us to expand the Bee Network, and deliver the UK's first, zero emission, integrated, public transport system by 2030. 'We have also made the case for a new Liverpool-Manchester railway, which would further rebalance infrastructure investment, and could boost the UK economy by £90 billion by 2040.'
