Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this Institute of Economic Affairs interview, part of the Great Stagnation series, host Daniel Freeman speaks to Professor Len Shackleton, the IEA’s Head of Labour Economics, about how labour market regulation has affected UK economic growth. They discuss how Britain’s labour market has become steadily less flexible since the financial crisis, and what that has meant for redundancies, hiring, and how quickly employers can respond to economic change.
Len explains why the minimum wage is more complicated than a simple “does unemployment spike or not” question, covering its effect on youth unemployment and NEETs, wage compression further up the pay scale, and how the minimum wage now effectively sets pay for around a quarter of private sector workers. He also looks at how the growth of employment mandates, from the Equality Act to unfair dismissal rules, has pushed up the cost of hiring, and argues that many of these costs end up being paid by workers themselves through lower wages rather than by employers.
The conversation also covers the rapid rise of occupational licensing in Britain, which now covers 22% of the workforce, up from 13% in 2011, with examples including social work and undertaking. Len rates employment regulation as one of the more significant barriers to UK economic growth. If you would like to read Len’s chapter on labour market regulation, it is available in digital format now, with the full book, The Great Stagnation: Why Britain Stopped Growing, out in paperback on 2 September.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
In this Institute of Economic Affairs interview, part of the Great Stagnation series, host Daniel Freeman speaks to Professor Len Shackleton, the IEA’s Head of Labour Economics, about how labour market regulation has affected UK economic growth. They discuss how Britain’s labour market has become steadily less flexible since the financial crisis, and what that has meant for redundancies, hiring, and how quickly employers can respond to economic change.
Len explains why the minimum wage is more complicated than a simple “does unemployment spike or not” question, covering its effect on youth unemployment and NEETs, wage compression further up the pay scale, and how the minimum wage now effectively sets pay for around a quarter of private sector workers. He also looks at how the growth of employment mandates, from the Equality Act to unfair dismissal rules, has pushed up the cost of hiring, and argues that many of these costs end up being paid by workers themselves through lower wages rather than by employers.
The conversation also covers the rapid rise of occupational licensing in Britain, which now covers 22% of the workforce, up from 13% in 2011, with examples including social work and undertaking. Len rates employment regulation as one of the more significant barriers to UK economic growth. If you would like to read Len’s chapter on labour market regulation, it is available in digital format now, with the full book, The Great Stagnation: Why Britain Stopped Growing, out in paperback on 2 September.
The Institute of Economic Affairs is a registered educational charity. It does not endorse or give support for any political party in the UK or elsewhere. Our mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems.
