Great British Recovery?

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/may/05/jobseekers-zero-hours-contracts

Do you think this should be allowed?
The government is having discussions on whether zero hours contracts are legal. Then IDS says this.

I'm just amazed that our country is doing reasonably well at all. Yes, it does take time and will take years longer yet, but it seems as if there is light at the end of the tunnel, to use an old cliche.

I'm surprised that so many people seem think Britain should have recovered by now. It takes time, and will take longer.

It would tend to indicate that, wouldn't it, if UK industry still in the doldrums.

Maybe production and construction remain low because people can't afford to spend money on those products.

Overall consumer spending may be up but on which products? Cheap imports? That won't do much for the British economy.

I believe lots of low paid workers get housing benefit - most of the recipients are in work.
I think the thing is that they total production of the economy by one measure has gone up because there are more people working. But productivity per person is still down.

Joe Grice, chief economist at the ONS, puts the figures in some context:
"This is the fifth consecutive quarter of steady growth. Overall, the economy is now only 0.6% below the pre-recession peak at the beginning of 2008. In fact, services are now 2% above the pre-recession peak but the production and construction sectors are still around 12% lower."

Business investment fell 2.7 per cent on the previous quarter and was down by a hefty 8.5 per cent on an annual basis.
Consumer spending is up - and that is the other thing behind the figures.
All a bit of a nightmare for us to understand isn't it. Osborne "Bigging it up" ahead of the EU elections this month.

Just been telling lies again. I went on the HMRC website and put in information to say I was working a 35 hour week on minimum pay of £6.50 an hour.
Apparently I would be due nearly £500 tax credit. This seems weird as I would also be paying tax, which would be not much below the tax credit.

The problem with pay in this country is the differential between top and bottom pay.
And yes, Grannyknot, people on low pay get their pay topped up by benefits. Otherwise they cannot afford to pay their rents or feed their children.

Anyways I'm off to now. Night, all.

Sorry meant to add 're my nephew ... he is not well paid because the job requires a low level of skill. He is happy with his job though.

Riverwalk I've often worked in poorly paid jobs at times in my life. Needs must and all that.

No I don't. But off the top of my head, nurses should be well paid. My nephew who clears away and washes up in his local pub, is not well paid.

Do people in poorly paid jobs really get their pay topped up by benefits?

You might understand if you were in a poorly-paid job Grannyknot

People in poorly paid jobs get their pay topped up by benefits, so the taxpayer is subsidising companies that pay poor rates.
That cannot be right.
Do you have a lst of which jobs should be well paid and which poorly paid, Grannyknot?

I don't understand why it matters that some people are in poorly paid jobs. Not everyone can be in a well paid job and not every job can be well paid. Some should be though.

You make it sound like a cancer jingl

No. I do n't really know what it means either.

There is recovery. But no growth. Apparently.