Getting a steady job with fair pay and regular hours is tougher for workers in the North and Midlands of England. This can really impact their quality of life, health, and future job opportunities.
A new report from the Work Foundation at Lancaster University looks at which areas have the most and least “severely insecure” jobs. This term refers to jobs that are temporary or part-time when you don’t want them to be, or when you face different types of job insecurity like not knowing when you’ll work or not getting paid much.
Insecure jobs
The study focuses on nine regions, including Greater London, where 11 million workers live – that’s over a third of all workers in England. Out of these, 2.2 million (that’s 19.4%) have these severely insecure jobs.
The research shows that workers in Tees Valley are most at risk of these kinds of jobs, with a rate 4.2 percentage points higher than the national average. In simpler terms, one in four workers in Tees Valley has an insecure job, compared to one in five nationwide. In Middlesbrough, it’s even worse, with nearly one in three workers (29.8%) in these insecure jobs, which is 10 percentage points higher than the national average. South Yorkshire and the West Midlands also have more of these jobs compared to the national average.
Significant action required
The researchers say that we need big government action to reduce these insecure jobs across the country. Even if the areas with the worst job insecurity – like Tees Valley, South Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and North of Tyne – had the same level as the national average (19.8%), it would only help 40,000 people get out of these insecure jobs.
“Too often, past debates about Leveling Up or reducing regional inequalities have failed to recognize the damaging role that insecure work plays in the lives of millions of people in England,” the researchers explain. “The reality is, people in severely insecure work are paying the price of Government’s failure to strengthen employment rights and protections during this Parliament, and this failure is also holding back wider Leveling Up ambitions.”
Insecure jobs are often found in industries like hospitality, social care, and administrative services. However, the level of job security in these sectors varies a lot depending on where you are in the country. It’s influenced by the kinds of work happening in those places and how well the region is doing in terms of productivity.
For example, if we look at hospitality workers, those in the Liverpool City Region tend to have more job security compared to those in the Tees Valley. This is because the Liverpool City Region hosts big global events and attracts a lot of investment, which creates more stable jobs.
Regional differences
The study also shows that people who live in Liverpool have some of the most secure jobs among the regions studied. The rate of insecure work in Liverpool is a bit lower than the national average. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough region also does pretty well, with a lower rate of insecure work compared to the national average.
However, even in these regions with better job security, there are still some areas where many people have insecure jobs. For example, in the Peterborough local authority, more than one in four workers (25.9%) have severely insecure jobs, even though the overall average for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is lower at 18.9%.
“Even in the regions that perform comparatively well, we need to see action to reduce severely insecure work,” the researchers explain “We know that those who face wider structural disadvantage in the labor market are more likely to find themselves in these kinds of jobs. Women, those with disabilities and those from ethnic minority backgrounds are often particularly at risk, leaving these worker groups even more vulnerable to the cost-of-living crisis.
The Work Foundation wants the government to make some changes. They suggest a new law, called the Employment Bill, in the next parliament. This law would focus on making sure jobs are better and more secure.
They also have some other ideas. They want to make it easier for people to have regular work schedules, and they want to improve how sick pay works. They also think the government should work together with city authorities like Mayoral Combined Authorities and Greater London. They want these groups to find ways to reduce the number of unstable jobs in their regions.
