New research published today by @CitizensAdvice has found that while the number of people in insecure work has grown during the pandemic, they’ve also faced a triple hit of exploitation and been put at more risk than any other type of worker... (1/8)

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/CitizensAdvice/Work%20Publications/On%20the%20Edge_%20Insecure%20work%20in%20the%20pandemic.pdf

Insecure workers are concentrated in sectors that have been at high risk of both job losses and exposure to coronavirus:
1 in 3 work in manual occupations such as food preparation and agriculture
1 in 5 work in care, leisure, or service industries
1 in 10 work in sales

More than half of people in insecure work are key workers, and coronavirus has exposed the extent of the systemic exploitation they’ve had to face on top of keeping the country running...

Compared to the whole workforce, insecure workers are:
2.7x more likely to be denied sick pay they’re entitled to
3x more likely to have had to work while ill
3x more likely to not have been paid wages they’re due

Insecure workers have been left out in the cold during the pandemic. They’ve been left vulnerable and struggling to navigate a confusing and fragmented enforcement landscape that puts the onus on workers to figure out where they stand for themselves...

...but it’s hard enough to work out what kind of contract you’re on and what that entitles you to, let alone figure out who to turn to for help

With the pandemic laying bare that the limited rights that insecure workers *do* have are being routinely violated, it’s essential that Government fast-track plans to introduce a single enforcement body for employment which has explicit protections for insecure workers

A single enforcement body will be a start for stopping insecure workers being trapped in a confusing and patchy enforcement landscape, and open the door for more action to support insecure workers and end this cycle of exploitation.