One in 10 in precarious work

New research reveals that around one in 10 UK workers are now in precarious work.

And a “striking finding” from the University College London study, commissioned by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, is that 8% of workers are “increasingly precarious” and likely to be stuck in low-paid, insecure or otherwise uncertain work.

Researchers analysed data from the Understanding Society Survey (2009-2022), which tracks members of 40,000 households. It found that precarious workers are more likely to be women, younger and working class.

They tend to be concentrated in hospitality, retail and construction and they are half as likely to work in unionised workplaces compared to non-precarious workers.

A third lived in London, the North West or South West, and half worked in these three sectors and agriculture.

Project co-lead Ella Cockbain, one of the authors, said that perhaps “the most striking finding” from this initial study “has been that for a significant proportion of the UK workforce, precarious work isn’t a fleeting phase when they are first starting out or studying.

“This is something that many people get stuck in for years on end, which can have far-reaching negative impacts on their quality of life and ability to make ends meet.”