by Szu Ping Chan
Telegraph.co.uk
The Government’s flagship plan to boost growth and raise living standards is being undermined by the introduction of the National Living Wage and is ignoring one of the most vital sectors of the UK economy, a think-tank has warned.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said there was already evidence that George Osborne’s introduction of the National Living Wage would add to business costs without providing the boost to productivity that policymakers envisage.
The think tank said boosting productivity in retail, accommodation, food and administration services, which employ around a third of Britain’s 31m workers, was that key to solving Britain’s “productivity puzzle”.