The new Labour government will unveil a long-awaited Employment Rights Bill later this autumn that is aimed to bolster protections for vulnerable and exploited workers. However, there are concerns that the Bill could go too far in stemming flexible contracts that benefit workers in work-life balance, accommodating personal life issues and enabling them to pursue long-term goals.

“Highly regulated agency work already offers employment rights and in-work progression,” the REC said in a statement released today. “And when the government reforms the Apprenticeship Levy as promised, it should also create more opportunities for them to upskill.”

For the ‘Voice of the Worker’ campaign, REC commissioned Whitestone Insight to interview 520 temp agency workers in Britain online in June 2024 to hear what they thought about agency work and why it mattered to them. Polling found:

• Almost eight in 10 temp agency workers (79%) say their work provides an important need for flexibility.
• More than two-thirds of temp agency workers (68%) say that their work provides a greater work-life balance.
• More than half of temp agency workers (53%) believe that this is the right kind of role for their current stage in life – an active choice.

“Britain’s temporary labour market is working well for people, firms and the modern economy – with about a million temps working every day. And its success at bringing and retaining people in the labour force is vital to the new government’s central mission of driving growth,” the REC said.

Key points of the Voice of the Worker campaign are:

• Flexibility serves a social purpose – more than two-thirds of temps say that their work provides them with a greater work-life balance.
• Britain’s labour market is a source of competitive strength, with workers having a wide range of permanent, temporary and contract-based options.

The REC will highlight video and written case studies of temporary workers, in a variety of sectors in the UK economy, in which they explain the reasons for wanting flexibility and the benefits of temp working.

REC CEO Neil Carberry said: “Flexibility at work is something to feel optimistic about. It is working for millions of people. Individual choice and employers’ need for a versatile workforce can be brought together to deliver better careers and higher productivity. As our new survey and video case studies show, flexibility is a vital bridge to work for people who need to balance caring responsibilities, work despite health issues, combine work and study, and upskill.

“Government needs to make sure new rules support temps and that means having a real understanding of their lives. Firms too should always ensure that they think of temporary workers as people to support and develop. Getting this right is crucial because our acute labour and skills shortages mean we need to fill record numbers of vacancies, with a mix of temporary and permanent jobs. And we can close productivity gaps by giving people more varied and developmental career paths.

He went on to say: “Good and lasting workforce changes that are effective for workers and businesses happen when employers and government work together to determine what works for everyone. We passionately hope our new campaign will help even more policymakers appreciate the opportunity temporary work brings, the benefits it offers and why it is life-changing in many ways.

“The new government has won a huge mandate to go for growth - and we are excited to be working with them to support that,” Carberry said, “but as our Voice of the Worker campaign shows, success in that mission rests primarily on getting the people stuff right in workplaces around the country.”

• For more on this story, see the Sep-Oct 2024 issue of Recruiter, out next week

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