Millions of insecure workers in the UK are living in fear that they will lose their jobs and that an unexpected bill could put them in the red, according to a new in-depth analysis from the Work Foundation at Lancaster University and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
The new research, which polled 3,000 workers in insecure work and 1,000 UK managers, found that approximately one in three workers in insecure work (30%) expect to lose their jobs in the next 12 months, and almost (49%) couldn’t personally pay an unexpected bill of £300 if it was due within the next seven days.
It comes just as firms across the UK rush to recruit seasonal workers ahead of the holiday season, potentially swelling the numbers of working people affected by the realities of precarious, insecure work.
Just under one in five UK workers—6.2 million—are now in “insecure jobs,” defined as low pay, temporary or part-time roles with contractual insecurity and very limited access to workers’ rights. These roles are particularly prominent in the hospitality, agriculture, and transport sectors. The analysis shows that women, young people, ethnic minority workers, and disabled workers are also disproportionately likely to be in an insecure job.
Facing unpredictable work patterns amid a cost-of-living crisis, the research reveals the challenges facing those in insecure work. Over one in three (34%) workers reported having at least one of their shifts cancelled with less than two days’ notice in the past month. Worryingly, half of workers surveyed (51%) say their mental wellbeing is affected by sudden changes to their work, schedule, or weekly hours.
The research finds workers and managers are crying out for more autonomy. Almost three in five (57%) of the insecure workers surveyed want more predictable hours, and that one in five respondents (21%) have spoken to their manager about the issue without success. Managers surveyed reported that they are often not in a position to resolve issues with working hours, with nearly half (46%) stating that others set their teams’ hours.
Interestingly, the analysis also found that managers in insecure work settings often face the same challenges as their colleagues. Half of the managers we spoke to expressed a desire for more predictable hours, and almost one in ten (8%) expected to lose their job in the next 12 months.
Managers can play a significant role in providing their colleagues with the right balance of stability, predictable hours, and flexibility – and the new findings suggest this is something UK managers want to do. Around three-quarters of managers surveyed said they would be willing to provide more flexible working arrangements to a direct report who requested them due to caring responsibilities (74%), personal well being (73%), or for disability or health reasons (77%).
Over the last few years, the Commons has implemented critical legislation to help address some of these problems. Theresa May’s 2018 Good Work Plan introduced necessary workplace reforms, including the right to a payslip for all workers. The Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act, brought forward by the Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi this year, means that employees will now be entitled to request flexible working arrangements from day one in their job. The Conservative MP Virginia Crosbie’s Bill to require hospitality businesses to ‘fairly’ allocate 100% of tips to workers also received Royal Assent this year.
Yet, the Work Foundation and Chartered Management Institute have argued that while individual policy changes are essential, this pick-and-mix approach to insecure work needs to look at the bigger picture, and the scale of the challenge requires bolder ambition.
