“TUC – number of people in insecure work reaches record 4.1 million”

The number of people in insecure work has reached a record high of 4.1 million, according to new TUC analysis published today…

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…

In care, leisure, service occupations and elementary occupations the number of people in precarious employment has rocketed by over 600,000 (+70%) since 2011…

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…