Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL) emphasises the need for “decent work and adequate income for all”. They go deeper, stating that the conversation around jobs and income needs to factor in “work that is safe and meaningful, with fair pay and decent working conditions, [which] provides essential income that enables households to meet their many needs and wants.”

If our goal is to build a regenerative and distributive economy, of which meaningful work is a key component, we must first determine what is meant by “decent work”. When thinking about jobs and income, we must start by being introspective about what we mean by “work” and the way we approach it. What does a growth-agnostic, nurturing, system-level and sustainable approach to jobs and incomes look like within the context of Doughnut Economics? In a thriving society, what is the purpose and role that employment plays? These are questions that require further interrogation and deliberation over the course of this elongated study.

We have explored this dimension through the context of a Real Living Wage. A living wage helps us to understand if workers are being adequately paid, following years of austerity measures, inflation and an ongoing cost of living crisis. This dimension seeks to understand how many workers are having their needs to survive met in order to, along with other relevant metrics, determine whether people in this neighbourhood are reaching a state of thriving.

Target

At the root of any Doughnut Economics approach is the recognition that we need to change the goal away from GDP as the driving force of economy, and instead focus on achieving a thriving life across the four lenses explored in this data portrait.

However, the Birmingham City Council’s targets relating to jobs and income are in relation to economic growth, and so the council's ambition from 2019 has been adopted.

The council aims to be:

“A city that invests in its people, so that everyone can have opportunities to realise their potential through lifelong learning, skills and good jobs.” (Birmingham City Council, 2019)

Indicator

We have adopted the indicator of the employee jobs earning below the Living Foundation's Real Living Wage. The Real Living Wage is an independently calculated wage rate, based on the cost of living (Living Wage Foundation, N.D). It is higher than the UK's minimum wage rates set by the government. This is because, in order for jobs to be considered 'quality,' at a minimum they must provide an adequate income to live off.

In future work, this will shift towards an exploration of a broader range of indicators such as job security (e.g. working hours and contractual agreements), sustainable business models (e.g. cooperatives and B-corps), job satisfaction, and the quality of local jobs in Ladywood. These will all feed into the higher aim of moving Ladywood towards the safe and just space for jobs and income. Institutional data across these areas is currently lacking, and a more comprehensive understanding of this exploration may require further primary research.