Calls for more employment rights for better job quality

Although recent findings show employment in the UK has become more secure, there are still issues for a significant minority of workers.

This is according to a new Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report ‘Has work become less secure’, which has the CIPD calling on employers and government to put choice and job quality at the heart of discussions about ways of working, in order to protect people from insecure working arrangements that do not suit their needs.

Of those workers experiencing insecurity (found mainly in the UK labour market), eight per cent would like more hours, three per cent are involuntarily working part-time as they are unable to find full-time work, and 33% of temporary workers would like a permanent job.

Jonathan Boys, labour market economist for the CIPD, commented, “It’s positive to see that work has become more secure in the last ten years on most measures. The worst of the impact of the pandemic on jobs is expected to be temporary and the positives, such as more flexible working and homeworking, seem likely to settle at above pre-pandemic norms.

“However, when it comes to working arrangements, one size does not fit all. One person’s flexibility could be another person’s insecurity. Employers must manage atypical arrangements responsibly, keeping choice and job quality at the heart of discussions about different ways of working.”

“And while it’s welcome news that a new Director of Labour Market Enforcement has been appointed, the Government must ensure the forthcoming creation of a Single Enforcement Body is underpinned by the necessary resources to meaningfully protect people’s rights and improve employment standards.”

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