Around six million workers in insecure jobs – Living Wage Foundation

More than a third lost money on prepaid transport, childcare or food when a shift was cancelled.

Black workers were nearly twice as likely as white workers to be in insecure employment, at 23% compared with 13%.

Around 23% of disabled workers were in insecure employment, compared with 18% of non-disabled workers. 

The figure rose to 52% among agricultural workers.

Graham Griffiths, director of the Living Wage Foundation, said: “Millions of workers are stuck in jobs where they don’t know when they’ll be working or if they’ll get the hours and pay they need, trapping them in poverty and making it impossible to plan a life. 

“Many are now struggling to put food on the table, heat their homes and keep up with bills.

“The Employment Rights Act is a step in the right direction in protecting workers who are all too often bearing the costs of these insecure jobs while employers benefit. But there remains a lot of uncertainty around how strong the Act’s provisions will be.”

Griffiths added: “There is a growing movement of over 300 responsible Living Hours employers who are choosing to transform millions of people’s lives right now whilst raising the bar for what decent work looks like in the UK by providing employees with the secure working hours they need to thrive. 

“They know decent pay and secure work is good for workers, good for business and good for society.”

Reaction:

Brett Mendell, managing director of Thomas Kneale & Co: 

“There are far too many workers in the UK who are in insecure work who don’t want to be, struggling to make ends meet because they don’t get enough work. 

“At Thomas Kneale, we know that low-paid, insecure work is far too common in our industry, with shift cancellation at short notice, and a low number of weekly hours. 

“That’s why we provide our colleagues with hours they can rely on alongside a real Living Wage, to make sure they can really thrive. It’s good for our business too.

“Our colleagues stay with us for a long time because they feel valued for the work they do, meaning less spent on recruitment and training. 

“And we retain experience and expertise meaning better productivity and overall quality of work. It works for everyone.”

Emma Gartside, founder of Upward Frog Yoga: 

“These findings underline how widespread the problem of insecure work is with 37 per cent of workers having a shift cancelled in the past month and 10 per cent experiencing cancellations more than five times. 

“We believe that yoga teachers shouldn’t have to exist like this, constantly dealing with insecure schedules and unpaid last-minute cancellations. 

“Becoming an accredited Living Hours Employer has been one of our best business decisions – we guarantee secure hours, proper notice and income protection for the next 30 days (including for our self-employed teachers) – and it has strengthened our organisation, improved retention of talented teachers and helped us attract the best people. 

“I want our teachers to focus on the work they love instead of constantly worrying about cancelled classes or sudden gaps in their income.”

Sophie Walsh, yoga teacher at Upward Frog Yoga: 

“In the past, my schedule as a yoga teacher has been completely unpredictable with last-minute cancellations meaning no pay and the constant stress of not knowing whether I’d earn enough that month. 

“Having secure hours and guaranteed income for the next 30 days has changed that. 

“I can plan my month confidently and manage my commitments. I no longer carry the daily anxiety of unexpected lost earnings.”