Jonathan Portes

Biography

Jonathan Portes is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at King’s College London (KCL).

He started his career at HM Treasury in 1987. He later served as Chief Economist at the Department for Work and Pensions from 2002 to 2008.

From 2008 - 2011, he was Chief Economist at the Cabinet Office. There he led the Cabinet Office’s economic analysis and economic policy work during the financial crisis and on the G20 London Summit in April 2009.

From 2011 to 2015, he was Director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.

In addition to his professorship, he is currently a Senior Fellow of the Economic and Social Research Council's UK in a Changing Europe initiative, based at King’s, which promotes research into the complex and changing relationship between the UK and the European Union.

His current research concentrates on issues related to immigration and labour mobility, both within the European Union and outside; and the economic implications of Brexit.  Other research interests include labour markets, fiscal policy, social security and welfare, and the use of evaluation and evidence in public policy.

Publications (Selected)

From EU Expansion to Brexit; Free Movement and the UK from 2004 to 2021. Portes, J., 1 Jun 2025, In: Border Crossings. 15, 3, p. 3-12 10 p.,1.

Does Cutting Child Benefits Reduce Fertility in Larger Families? Evidence from the UK’s Two-Child Limit Reader, M., Portes, J. & Patrick, R., 4 Mar 2025, In: Population Research And Policy Review. 44, 2, 21.

The Economic Record of the Coalition Government: Introduction. Portes, J., 14 Feb 2015, In: National Institute Economic Review. 231, 1, p. R1-R4

Unintended Consequences? The Changing Composition of Immigration To The United Kingdom After Brexit. Portes, J., 6 Jan 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In:  National Institute Economic Review. 268, p. 63-78 16 p.

New Labour? The Impact of Migration from Central and Eastern European Countries on the UK Labour Market
Lemos, S. & Portes, J., 19 Oct 2008, (IZA Discussion Paper; no. 3756).

The Impact of the Post-Brexit Migration System on the UK labour Market. Portes, J. & Springford, J., 2023, In: Contemporary Social Science. 18, 2, p. 132-149 18 p.

The Economics of Brexit: What Have We Learned. Portes, J., 23 Jun 2022, CEPR Press. 107 p.

Education

M.P.A Economics, Princeton University

B.Sc. Mathematics, University of Oxford

Institutions

King’s College London

Cabinet Office

Department for Work and Pensions

HM Treasury

Fields

Economics

Public Policy

Topics

Immigration Policy

Refugees

Demographic

Brexit

Labour Markets

Fiscal Policy

Social Security & Welfare