Megatrends: Is work in the UK really becoming less secure?
This report challenges the notion that work in the UK is getting less and less secure
This report challenges the notion that work in the UK is getting less and less secure
The public debate about atypical forms of work (such as the gig economy, zero-hours working and agency work) in recent years has created the perception that the UK’s labour market is becoming less secure. This report challenges this notion.
This report examines a range of evidence proving that the so-called ‘casualisation’ of work in the UK has been overstated:
Nevertheless, the report highlights that there are still millions of employees in the UK, many of them in permanent positions, who report some degree of insecurity: fear of not getting another job as least as good, cuts in wages, or being discriminated against in the workplace.
Download the report below
The evidence uncovered in this report is informing the CIPD’s recommendations to the UK’s policy-makers. To-date, policy-makers’ efforts to create ‘Good Work’ have disproportionately focused on atypical workers, at the expense of more holistic interventions that would benefit the entire labour market. The CIPD is therefore calling for the UK Government to expand its Good Work Plan to incorporate more action that would address concerns about job quality and security across the economy, not just for those on atypical contracts. Download the report to find out more about our recommendations.
Although this research suggests that policy makers have been over-focused on atypical workers, there is some evidence of bad practice in the way these workers are managed. To help address this, the CIPD has developed a new guide setting out the people management and development practices organisations need to ensure that atypical working arrangements meet the needs of the business, while treating atypical workers fairly.
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Listen nowA Northern Ireland summary of the CIPD Good Work Index 2024 survey report
We outline the challenges impacting job quality in Scotland as revealed in the CIPD's Working Lives Scotland 2024 report
A Northern Ireland summary of the CIPD Good Work Index 2024 survey report
Dedicated analysis of job quality and its impact on working lives in Scotland
A North of England summary of the CIPD Good Work Index 2024 survey report