Inequality

30 July 2026 · Eurozone

Eurostat reported euro-area unemployment of 6.3% in June 2026 and EU unemployment of 6.0%. Around 11.13 million people were unemployed in the euro area, while youth unemployment was much higher at 14.8%. The release is useful because it combines a relatively low headline unemployment rate with clear evidence that labour-market outcomes differ sharply across groups.

26 August 2026 · United Kingdom

The UK government has confirmed that VAT on household electricity will be removed from 1 October 2026. The rate falls from 5% to 0% for the rest of the 2026-27 financial year. The government estimates the change will save households about £45 a year on average, cost around £850 million in 2026-27 and reduce CPI inflation by about 0.10 percentage points. It says the current-year measure is funded through cancellation of the £1.8 billion Digital ID programme.

11 June 2026 · Developing economies / Global

The World Bank's June 2026 Global Economic Prospects forecast developing-economy growth slowing from 4.4% in 2025 to 3.6% in 2026. More importantly for A-Level evaluation, the Bank said developing economies excluding China and India are approaching a decade with almost no progress in narrowing the per-capita income gap with advanced economies. This makes the release a strong growth-versus-development case.

13 August 2026 · United Kingdom

ONS’s preferred RTI-based estimate showed UK output per hour 0.7% higher in Q2 2026 than a year earlier and output per worker 1.4% higher. The alternative LFS-based estimate was weaker, making measurement uncertainty a ready-made evaluation point.

19 August 2026 · United Kingdom

UK CPI inflation rose to 2.9% in the 12 months to July 2026 from 2.6% in June, while CPIH rose to 3.1%. The release is useful for analysing real incomes, the Bank of England’s policy trade-off and the distinction between headline and underlying inflation.

1 April 2026 · United Kingdom

The UK National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over rose 4.1% to £12.71 an hour on 1 April 2026. It is a strong microeconomics example because the same policy can raise incomes while also increasing firms’ labour costs.