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In this final PwC Economics in Business Podcast of 2025, PwC UK Economics Leader Simon Oates and UK Chief Economist Barret Kupelian take stock after the dust has settled on the UK Budget. They unpack what a thicker fiscal headroom really signals for economic stability and how recent policy changes are reshaping business decisions and the labour market as firms look ahead to 2026. Barret also shares some of his economic predictions for next year, from US monetary policy and tariffs to the risk of an AI-driven market revaluation.

With households saving more and uncertainty rising, UK growth remains mediocre. In this episode from the PwC Economics team, Barret Kupelian Chief Economist and Andy Haldane Special Advisor speak to Simon Oates, UK Economics Leader on their latest thoughts on the economy, why households are saving and weigh on the Chancellor's high-level fiscal options for the Autumn Budget. They are also joined by Fatos Koc from the OECD on a fascinating discussion on global public debt levels. 

Hosted by Simon Oates, Leader of Economics at PwC UK, this episode of Economics in Business brings you a data-driven exploration of the UK economy’s brightest levers and its toughest hurdles. Join Simon as he challenges: Barret Kupelian, PwC’s Chief Economist UK, on why real wages are rising faster than wallets feel—and what it means for consumer demand. Andy Haldane, PwC Special Advisor and former Bank of England Chief Economist, on the sharp contrast between sluggish goods exports and booming services—and the policy choices ahead. Together, they dissect: Rising pay packets vs. muted spendingThe goods vs. services export boomBritain’s decade long productivity puzzle

While women's participation in labour markets is increasing, they continue to face pay disparities compared to men. In this episode, host Ellie Golden is joined by Alia Qamar and Yashi Chowdhary, Economists at PwC, to dive deeper into the findings of the Women in Work 2024 report. The speakers outline the standout findings, the drivers of the gender pay gap in the UK, and why this is so important.

Are we out of the woods yet? In this podcast, Ellie Golden hosts our UK Chief Economist Barret Kupelian, along with Jake Finney, a manager in our Economics team, to discuss their views on the macroeconomic outlook and the reports special article, which offers a holistic evaluation on undergraduate degrees. The speaker's outline their views on GDP growth, the outlook on headline inflation and what recent geopolitical developments could mean for domestic prices in the UK.

Free school meals can have a great impact on both children and wider society. Join us as we discuss the potential expansion of free school meals in England, looking at who currently receives them, what the potential benefits to children and society are from expanding this policy, and what we expect to happen next.

Overall success is heavily dependent on effective employee adoption, and without this, businesses struggle to see the true benefits of their time and financial investments. So, what insights can behavioural economics provide to help navigate change and get good habits to stick? And how did we apply these insights in practice to drive an 81% increase in employee adoption of technology within 2 months?

Action on net zero is a central tenet of governments, businesses and policy makers around the world, but what are the implications for women in the workplace? What lessons have we learned from COVID-19 that we can carry forward to make sure all women, especially those with childcare responsibilities and those from ethnic minorities, are better placed for the transition to net zero? In this episode, host Vayana Skabrin is joined by Priyanka Kanani and Divya Sridhar, Economists at PwC, to dive deeper into some of the more social and environmental angles of the 10th Women in Work Index.

Are you value-sensitive or time-sensitive? Active or dormant? Proactive or a procrastinator? These questions are at the heart of Behavioural Segmentation, an approach to segmentation that makes nudges significantly more effective at influencing behaviour. The integration of behavioural science into customer insight is proving to be a powerful accelerator for businesses to understand their customers and, more importantly, use that insight to drive value for them and their customers alike.  To discuss how putting these approaches helped Sage increase customer satisfaction and reduce churn, host Freddie Martin is joined in the studio by Suresh Natarajan, who leads the PwC Behavioural Economics practice, and Brian Wall, Director of retention at Sage. Link to our previous Behavioural Economics episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/economics-in-business/id1231389294?mt=2 Link to the PwC Behavioural Economics site, where you can learn more about how PwC can help you harness the power of Behavioural Economics: https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/behavioural-economics.html

Building back greener is now an urgent imperative, but how can policymakers ensure that the green transition works for all countries and all people? In this episode, Hannah Audino talks to Zlatina Loudjeva and Jack Steenson from PwC's International Development team about the benefits and challenges of the green skills agenda and what policymakers can do to prevent widening global inequalities. For more information, visit PwC's Future of Work campaign and our Upskilling for Shared Prosperity report with the World Economic Forum.

After a year of low inflation across the UK, US and the eurozone, economists are now turning to the question of whether inflation might make a comeback this year, as economies recover from the pandemic. In this bonus episode, Hannah Audino and Barret Kupelian, economists at PwC, explore the outlook for inflation this year, focusing on the US and considering the implications for the UK. For more information on our latest UK Economic Outlook, head to https://www.pwc.co.uk/services/economics/insights/uk-economic-update-covid-19.html

In this episode, Freddie Martin discusses the results of PwC's latest Good Growth for Cities index with George Mason, an economist at PwC, and James Bowman, a South-East and London PwC Consulting partner specialising in local government transformation. Ten years after its launch, and as we recover from another global crisis, we reflect on what economic wellbeing really means, and how policymakers can support levelling up for the recovery across the UK's regions.  For the full results of the report visit our dedicated site.  You can listen to the Business in Focus podcast on Good Growth for Cities and local recovery strategies on the PwC site, iTunes or Spotify.

Projecting what the future holds is an important exercise for businesses and governments looking to plan ahead. In this podcast, Hannah Audino speaks to Barret Kupelian and Rob Clarry from PwC's Economics team to discuss the key trends we expect to come to the fore in the global economy in the year to come. You can read more in our latest Global Economy Watch: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/research-insights/economy/global-economy-watch/predictions-2021.html

In this episode our co-host Freddie Martin is joined by Steve Davies, PwC's Global Blockchain leader, and Jonathan Gillham, who leads PwC UK's Economics team, to discuss blockchain, the technology that is revolutionising how we share and store data, with the potential to add an estimated $1.76 trillion to the global economy by 2030. To find out more, please visit PwC's blockchain page, where you can download a copy of our 'Time for Trust' report and explore the results of the analysis mentioned in this episode: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/industries/technology/publications/blockchain-report-transform-business-economy.html

Virtual and Augmented reality were once seen as the domain of the entertainment industry, used mainly in gaming and social media. However, as these technologies have developed and the number of use cases have grown, an increasing number of sectors, from health services to product development, are beginning to harness the potential of VR and AR. Jeremy Dalton, a VR and AR specialist, and Ryan Hamilton, a PwC economist, join Freddie Martin in the studio to discuss the impact that VR and AR will have on the UK economy and give advice for businesses looking to adopt these technologies. To find out more, please visit PwC's virtual reality page, where you can download a copy of our 'Seeing is Believing' report and explore the results of the analysis mentioned in this episode: https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/intelligent-digital/virtual-reality-vr.htmlIf you’d like more information on the solutions VR and AR are providing throughout the COVID-19 crisis, you can listen to ‘PwC’s Business in Focus podcast’ episode with Jeremy here: https://pwc.to/2AEDUPu