EDITION 990
9 OCTOBER 2023

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to make the most of your down time. It's hard to carve out time to relax in a 24/7 world. But just as it's healthy to focus at work - ignoring social media and personal email - you must occasionally leave work behind. READ MORE

2. Over-50s switch to part-time work. The number of over-50s choosing part-time work over full-time jobs has hit a record high. Around 3.6 million people over the age of 50 have opted to work part-time, a 12% increase since 2021, according to Office for National Statistics data. Flexibility, caring responsibilities and work-life balance are among the reasons many making the switch. Financial struggles and low pensions are also driving over-50s to find part-time work. The most popular part-time jobs for workers aged 50 to 64 include sales assistants and retail cashiers, secretarial and related occupations and road transport drivers. However, charities say ageism is a key barrier for those over 50 looking for work. The Guardian

3. Work harassment up. Nearly one-third of workers said they have suffered sexual harassment in their job, but only half of those affected were sufficiently confident to report it, a survey has found. Researchers, who questioned 2,000 UK employees, found that victims described feeling "violated, intimidated, ashamed, degraded and scared" after suffering "groping, stroking, [or] inappropriate comments". They were also threatened that their careers would be harmed if they did not return sexual advances. The Barrister Group, which commissioned the research, said "the fact that sexual harassment is still so prevalent in the workplace" is "hugely disappointing". The Times

4. Sunak 'tax surge'. Rishi Sunak is responsible for the biggest income tax rise for decades in a stealth move that will raise £40bn a year, said the Resolution Foundation. Taxpayers in the higher bracket will be paying £3,700 a year more in tax as a result of a six-year freeze to income tax thresholds by 2027-28, said the think tank. The findings will "anger Conservatives pressing Rishi Sunak to cut taxes", but a spokesperson for the Treasury said "our tax burden remains lower than any major European economy". The Guardian

5. The world’s most expensive cities. The Julius Bear Lifestyle Index tracks the cost of 20 high-value, luxury items, such as high-end property, fine dining and business class flights in 25 cities across the globe. Here’s this year’s top 10: [10] Miami, [9] Sao Paulo; [8] Taipei; [7] Dubai; [6] Monaco; [5] New York; [4] London; [3] Hong Kong; [2] Shanghai; [1] Singapore. Singapore took the top spot from Shanghai, last year’s most expensive city. Miami saw a 22% rise in living costs this year, the biggest increase of any city in the top 10. 6 out of 10 chief economists expect the global economy to weaken in the near future, but 86% say the worst of the inflationary surge will have passed a year from now. World Economic Forum

6.  No country for old men. In some parts of Glasgow, male life expectancy is just 71.1 years, which is on a par with Iran and Nicaragua. This despite the fact that “an over-generous settlement with hated Westminster” means health spending “is around 20% higher per person in Scotland than in England”. Scottish lives are being cut short by poor diet, poverty, alcohol, obesity and illegal drugs: Scotland’s per capita drug death rate “is 14 times – yes, 14 times – the European average”. Daily Mail

7. Prisons on the brink. Prisons in England and Wales are "bust" of space and may run out of places to house offenders within days, according to the leader of Britain’s prison governors. There were only around 300 spaces left in men's prisons as the number of inmates passed 88,000 on Friday, the highest figure since records began in 1900 and a rise of 10,000 in two years. It means male jails are running at more than 99.6% of capacity and women’s prisons are at 96%. The Telegraph

8. House hunters expand their search. A third of house hunters in London will look at homes more than ten miles away from their current address; as will 42% in Oxford. By contrast, in Birmingham, only 18% of buyers look that far, while in Liverpool, just 11% will, according to data from Zoopla. It puts this “North-South divide” down to better transport links in the South giving people the option to cast their net wider, and higher house prices necessitating it. BBC

9. Peas are new avocados. Avocados are out of fashion as the public becomes obsessed with peas. During the 2010s, the avocado was so popular "it even became a shorthand for an entire generation's spending habits" and global avocado imports hit $4.8bn, growing by 21% between 2012 and 2016. But now, the hashtag “peas on toast” has 3.3m views on TikTok, and Google searches for peas on toast have increased by 133% this month as increasing numbers of restaurants are "making the switch", said the paper. The Times

10. The bottom line. 40% of adults in Great Britain support axing the Birmingham to Manchester section of HS2. 24% are opposed to the move. Redfield & Wilton Strategies