No progress? Tackling long-term insecure work

Publication type

Report

Authors

Publication date

September 15, 2024

Summary:

For millions of people, work in the 21st century has been characterised by persistent insecurity.

In the UK, one in five workers are in severely insecure work – facing a mix of low pay, unpredictable hours, poor protections, and limited career progression. Insecurity is more likely to affect certain worker groups including women, people from ethnic minorities, disabled workers, and young people.

In tandem with high levels of insecurity, the UK workforce is becoming sicker. The UK is the only G7 country with a smaller workforce than before the pandemic and employers in a range of key sectors are grappling with persistent worker shortages.

The Labour Government has come to power facing the same challenge as its predecessor; how do you grow the size of the UK workforce and support people to sustain employment, improve living standards, and support economic growth?

Our new briefing investigates what impact the quality of work contributes to long-term employment outcomes. Using longitudinal data of 10,804 workers employment journeys (2017/18 – 2021/22), it aims to understand the impact that being in insecure or secure work has on the type of employment, if any, a worker will have in the future.

Subjects

Link

https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/publications/no-progress


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