In a joint session with the Government Economic Service, speakers Jonathan Portes and Paul Johnson, will share their views on the UK labour market and income distribution.

Paul Johnson has been Director of the IFS since January 2011. He is also currently visiting professor in the Department of Economics at University College London. Paul has worked and published extensively on the economics of public policy, with a particular focus on income distribution, public finances, pensions, tax, social security, education and climate change. As well as a previous period of work at the IFS his career has included spells at HM Treasury, the Department for Education and the FSA. Between 2004 and 2007 he was deputy head of the Government Economic Service. Paul is currently also a member of the committee on climate change,  the Banking Standards Board and of the executive committee of the Royal Economic Society. He was an editor of the Mirrlees Review of the UK tax system.

Jonathan Portes is Principal Research Fellow at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research; and Senior Fellow, ESRC Britain in a Changing Europe. Previously, he was Chief Economist at the Cabinet Office, where he advised the Cabinet Secretary, Gus O’Donnell, and Number 10 Downing Street on economic and financial issues.  Before that he held a number of other senior economic policy posts in the UK government. His particular interests include immigration, labour markets, and poverty. Mr Portes began his civil service career in HM Treasury in 1987.  He writes regularly for the national and international press and is on twitter at @jdportes. ​

The meeting will start at 6pm. Please contact the SBE office on admin@sbe.co.uk to register or for more details.