Read to the end for why record wage growth isn't worth cracking open the champagne for, a video game that invites you to role-play as a border control official, and the new train strike dates to put in your diary.

Morning team, 

Evie Breese here with the week’s work news, and we’ve got some positive headlines – hurrah! Headlines are hailing the fact that wage growth has, finally, almost matched inflation. Earnings are rising at record levels, with private sector pay surging by 7.8% in the April and June period compared to the same time last year, almost on par with inflation which was at 7.9% in June. 

Nye Cominetti, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said the acceleration of pay growth meant an “end to Britain’s painful 18-month pay squeeze”. Time to pop the bubbly, right?

While I hate to be a party-pooper, I’m sure you can guess the answer to the big question on everyone’s lips: does this mean the end of the cost of living crisis? 

First of all, we need to consider who is getting these pay rises. Rocketing pay for bankers has pushed up the averages. In July, those in the finance sector enjoyed average pay rises of 7.6%, while those working in education saw their pay go down by  2.6%, according to The Equality Trust. 

The reality is that Britain has been stuck in 15 years of wage stagnation that has left us a far poorer country overall, with the average worker still £230 a week worse off than before the financial crash, according to Resolution Foundation analysis. Furthermore, research released by the TUC in May showed that the only sector of the economy where pay levels have managed to outstrip inflation since the 2008 financial crisis is the finance and business services sector. So, again, that sector is pulling up the overall figures while others further down the pay scale reckon with a very real cost of living crisis.

So in summary, put the champers on ice and stick to the Lambrini, because while this might be one step forward, British workers' pay cheques are already 10 steps back. And that’s before we even get to concerns that pay rises could worsen inflation. Now I’ve successfully rained on that parade, here’s the week’s top employment stories. Enjoy!

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What you need to know about work this week:

New tricks. Older workers are “grossly underrepresented” in the uptake of skills bootcamps, according to Labour Party findings, despite Chancellor Jeremy Hunt claiming intensive job-ready interventions would get over-50s back to work. The employment rate for over-50s remains lower than it was before the pandemic. 

Going backwards. The number of Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers in insecure work, such as the gig economy or zero-hours contracts, has more than doubled between 2011 to 2022, new TUC data has revealed. TUC leader Paul Nowak has described the findings as “structural racism in action”. The use of zero-hours contracts is increasing – here’s why unions and campaigners want them banned. 

The motherhood penalty. After having her baby, Sandrine Mpongo wanted to go back to work, but the cost of childcare, coupled with inflexible Jobcentre Plus work coaches, left her unemployed for two years. Here's what finally broke the cycle, from me, in The Big Issue.

Public sector strife. More working days were lost to strike action in the past year than at any point since the 1980s, new analysis from the Resolution Foundation has found. The strikes have been fuelled by public sector workers’ anger over falls in real-terms pay.

Not a new start. University students could face further strikes from lecturers when they return to their studies in September, the University and College Union (UCU) has warned, unless pay negotiations are reopened. The union’s marking boycott, which began in April at 145 universities, left many students with unmarked dissertations, and some with ungraded degrees. 

Determined doctors. Following the most recent junior doctors’ four days of strike action that ended in mid-August, health minister Will Quince has insisted that negotiations on pay with the British Medical Association are over. Senior NHS doctors (consultants) are set to push ahead with two 48-hour strikes in August and September.

Women's work. A slew of legal battles are being fought by female employees in shop-floor roles, including at Asda and Next, over the value placed on their work in comparison to similar jobs held predominantly by men. It's hard to avoid the suspicion that "work performed by women must, by definition, be less valuable", writes Heather Stewart, in this excellent op-ed for The Guardian. 

Typing test. An Australian woman has been fired from her job of 18 years after monitoring software found she wasn’t typing enough when working from home. The software was used to review her online activity after she missed deadlines and meetings.  

Strike watch

The RMT has announced two new train strike dates for August and September, as the union remains locked in a stalemate with the government over pay, job security and working conditions.

Take a look at our comprehensive list of upcoming strike dates.

A global solution 🌎

Green jobs are a hot topic, but what they actually are is a subject of heated debate – the UK government has previously grappled with how to define them. In this week’s episode of the Future of Work podcast from the International Labour Organization (ILO) – the UN Agency for the work of work – experts weigh in on what the green jobs of the future should look like.

Mette Grangaard Lund, technical officer in the Green Jobs Unit of the ILO, argues that green jobs must also be “decent jobs” if they are to tackle both the climate crisis and the labour market challenges faced by young people. Is that too much to ask? Listen to the podcast here 

Working culture

This month is the 10^th anniversary of the video game Papers, Please, a dystopian document thriller that challenges players to work as someone in border control in a fictional Soviet-esque state. Tasked with checking passport and immigration papers, players must contend with the rules changing at the whim of the authorities – an element that makes the game enduringly relevant under the current Tory government. In a further element of realism, players also get paid based on their performance, which they must then use to support their family, throwing up tough moral and ethical questions over who to let in, and who to keep out. 

Game developer Lucas Pope has released a free demake – a simpler browser-based version of the game – to mark its 10^th anniversary. You can play the game here

Enjoying this newsletter? Check out Survival Guide, our newsletter on the cost of living crisis from my colleague Isabella McRae. We also have a cost of living help Facebook group with money-saving tips and positive stories.

In the diary

Thursday 24 August. NHS consultants walk out for two days.

Saturday 26 August. All rail workers with the RMT will strike for 24 hours across 14 train operating companies.

Saturday 2 September. RMT train workers walkout for 24 hours across 14 train operating companies.

Sunday 10 -13 September. The 155th annual TUC Congress will take place in Liverpool.

Tuesday 19 September. NHS consultants strike for another two-day period.

Wednesday 27 September. Creating a Good Jobs economy, lecture by Professor Dani Rodrik, at The Resolution Foundation.

Animals with jobs 

This dedicated publican is alert to keep your ales topped up and tails in order. Thanks to reader Olivia Dehnavi for snapping this in between pints at East London’s The Blind Beggar. 

Does your cat/dog/garden fox/animal you saw on holiday participate in the daily grind? Nominate them today by sending me a photo to: evie.breese@bigissue.com

This week's Big Issue magazine

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