"Today’s ONS’s Labour Market Overview for October is not optimistic. Without doubt the region’s labour market is in for a bumpy few months. But there is also a need to think now about the region’s future and how 2021 might play out." Professor Terence Hogarth of IER analyses what today's ONS statistics reveal about the labour market prospects for the West Midlands.

"Lockdowns in democracies have always been about trust. In order for localised lockdowns to be effective, it is important to know what the public health threshold is for creating a localised lockdown so that communities don’t feel that they are being disproportionately impacted." Dr Sharifah Sekalala comments on the potential challenges of a Leicester lockdown.

"This is unprecedented in living memory. It is hugely tragic in so many ways but especially in terms of what it has meant and means for many people’s livelihoods and for many businesses." Professor Abhinay Muthoo, Dean of Warwick in London, comments on the news that output in the UK fell by 20.4 per cent in April compared with the previous month.

As the Chancellor prepares to announce a package of support for workers whose jobs are at risk because of COVID19, Dr Heidi Ashton from the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies highlights the particular challenges for people in the creative sector.

Dr Erika Kispeter comments on the news that women in Switzerland are taking a day of action in protest at the national pay gap between the sexes and other inequalities.