Insecure work has risen nearly three times faster than secure forms of employment since 2011, analysis shows
TUC accuses Conservatives of presiding over a “race to the bottom” on employment standards
Union body says New Deal for Working People urgently needed
The number of people in insecure work has reached a record high of 4.1 million, according to new TUC analysis published today (Friday).
The analysis of official statistics shows the number of people in precarious employment – such as zero-hours-contracts, low-paid self-employment and casual/seasonal work – increased by nearly one million between 2011 and 2023.
Over that period insecure work rose nearly three times faster than secure forms of employment. While the numbers in insecure work increased by 31%, those in secure employment increased by just 11%.
The TUC estimates that 1 in 8 workers in the UK are now employed in precarious employment.
However, in some parts of the country, such as the West Midlands and the South West, this number has risen to 1 in 7.
Low-paid industries have fuelled most of the growth
The growth in insecure work since 2011 has been fuelled mainly by lower-paid sectors of the economy.
In care, leisure, service occupations and elementary occupations the number of people in precarious employment has rocketed by over 600,000 (+70%) since 2011.
Insecure work pay penalty
Today’s analysis also shows that people in insecure work face a severe pay penalty compared to other workers.
People on zero-hours contracts earn over a third (35%) less an hour, on average, than workers on median pay.
And the pay gap between workers in seasonal (-33%) and casual (-37%) work and median earners is also stark.
New Deal “urgently needed”
The TUC says the huge rise in insecure and low-paid work highlights the need for boosting workers’ rights and making work pay.
The union body says Labour’s New Deal for Working People would be a “game changer” if delivered in full – with the biggest upgrade in workers’ rights in a generation.
In April the Chartered Management Institute polling of managers revealed strong support for key New Deal policies:
More than 4 in 5 (82%) managers said granting workers fundamental day one rights was important.
3 in 4 (74%) managers said a ban on zero-hours contracts was important, and
3 in 4 (74%) managers said the publication of ethnicity and disability pay gaps was important.
The polling also revealed that 80% managers believe workers’ rights should be a top priority in national policies, while 83% said such changes can positively impact workplace productivity.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:
“We need a government that will make work pay.
“But over the last 14 years we have seen an explosion in insecure, low-paid work.
“The UK’s long experiment with a low-rights, low-wage economy has been terrible for growth, productivity and living standards.
“Real wages are still worth less than in 2008, and across the country people are trapped in jobs that offer little or no security.”
On the need for change, Paul added:
“We must end the Conservatives’ race to the bottom on employment standards.
“The New Deal is an opportunity for a reset. Delivered in full – it would be a game changer for millions of working people.
“As well as preventing workers from being treated like throw-away labour it would stop good employers from being undercut by the bad.”
If delivered in full Labour’s New Deal will:
Strengthen collective bargaining by introducing fair pay agreements to boost pay and conditions – starting in social care.
Introduce ethnicity pay gap reporting and disability pay gap reporting.
Ban zero-hours contracts to help end the scourge of insecure work.
Give all workers day one rights on the job. Labour will scrap qualifying time for basic rights, such as unfair dismissal, sick pay, and parental leave.
Ensure all workers get reasonable notice of any change in shifts or working time, with compensation that is proportionate to the notice given for any shifts cancelled or curtailed.
Beef up enforcement by making sure the labour market enforcement bodies have the powers they need to undertake targeted and proactive enforcement work and bring civil proceedings upholding employment rights.
Growth in insecure work
2023 |
2011 |
change |
|
Total in insecure work |
4,144,600 |
3,157,700 |
986,900 |
Total in work |
33,193,100 |
29,405,100 |
3,788,000 |
Proportion in insecure work |
12.5% |
10.7% |
1.7% |
Growth in insecure work versus overall employment
2023 |
2011 |
change |
|
Total in insecure work |
4,144,600 |
3,157,700 |
31% |
Total in secure work |
29,048,500 |
26,247,400 |
11% |
Total in overall work |
33,193,100 |
29,405,100 |
13% |
Growth in insecure work by occupation
2023 |
Insecure work |
In employment |
Insecure work proportion |
Managers, Directors and Senior Officials |
292,200 |
3,574,900 |
8.2% |
Professional Occupations |
504,400 |
8,691,700 |
5.8% |
Associate Professional Occupations |
490,200 |
5,056,000 |
9.7% |
Administrative and Secretarial Occupations |
196,700 |
3,101,600 |
6.3% |
Skilled Trades Occupations |
584,100 |
2,935,300 |
19.9% |
Caring, Leisure and Other Service Occupations |
593,800 |
2,721,400 |
21.8% |
Sales and Customer Service Occupations |
272,400 |
2,091,400 |
13.0% |
Process, Plant and Machine Operatives |
339,500 |
1,834,900 |
18.5% |
Elementary Occupations |
829,600 |
3,120,600 |
26.6% |
|
|
|
|
2011 |
Insecure work |
In employment |
Insecure work proportion |
Managers, Directors and Senior Officials |
306,000 |
2,910,800 |
10.5% |
Professional Occupations |
340,300 |
5,565,200 |
6.1% |
Associate Professional and Technical Occupations |
357,600 |
4,051,000 |
8.8% |
Administrative and Secretarial Occupations |
204,600 |
3,320,300 |
6.2% |
Skilled Trades Occupations |
585,400 |
3,233,700 |
18.1% |
Caring, Leisure and Other Service Occupations |
342,100 |
2,685,100 |
12.7% |
Sales and Customer Service Occupations |
220,100 |
2,403,100 |
9.2% |
Process, Plant and Machine Operatives |
316,100 |
1,867,200 |
16.9% |
Elementary Occupations |
475,200 |
3,295,800 |
14.4% |
Methodology
The total number in ‘insecure work’ includes:
(1) Agency, casual, seasonal and other workers, but not those on fixed – term contracts.
(2) Workers whose primary job is a zero-hours contract.
To note – data on temporary workers and zero-hour workers is taken from the Labour Force Survey Q4 in 2011 and 2023. Double counting has been excluded.
(3) Self-employed workers who are paid below 66% of median earnings – defined as low pay.
The data on the low paid self-employed is from the Family Resources Survey 2010/2011 and 2022/23 and commissioned by the TUC from Landman Economics. The Family Resources Survey suggests that fewer people are self-employed than the Labour Force Survey. And the data from the Family Resources survey looks at from age 18+.
Between 2011 and 2023 – there was an occupational code change – this mainly affected a review a review of the classification of roles as professional or associate professional – more information here: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions of unit groups - Office for National Statistics
Hourly pay for those in insecure work and median earners
2023 |
Four quarter average |
ZHC |
£9.80 |
Working for an employment agency |
£11.50 |
Casual work |
£9.38 |
Seasonal work |
£10.00 |
Self-employed |
£10.00 |
Median earner |
£15.01 |
Source: Labour Force Survey Average of Q4 2023.
- About the TUC: The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together the 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
Contacts:
TUC press office
media@tuc.org.uk
020 7467 1248
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