Nearly three in five employment lawyers believe that employment law reforms announced last month by business secretary Vince Cable will lead to a ’hire and fire’ culture in small UK businesses.

Furthermore, 73% think they will not encourage such businesses to take on new staff and 33% thought that they would lead to them losing out on talent in the jobs market, according to a survey by solicitor finding service Contact Law.

As reported on recruiter.co.uk, Cable’s 23 November announcement that he would make it easier for employers to hire, fire and manage disputes during a speech to EEF, the manufacturers organisation, met with varied approval and disapproval from businesses and business groups.

The poll also found that 67% of those lawyers surveyed do not believe the proposals are ’workable’, and fewer than one in 12 (8%) is in favour of all the changes.

Therese Wallin, legal expert at Contact Law, says: “The general feeling seems to be that rather than assisting small businesses, these reforms could actually have an adverse impact. It’s difficult to see how the proposed changes, in their current form, could be implemented without a significant degree of resistance.”