One in three in ‘precariously’ employed

Up to one in three workers are now in “precarious” employment such as jobs in the socalled gig economy or on zerohours contracts, a new study shows.

Research by the GMB union found that “insecure” work was affecting the health of employees.

A survey of 1,000 workers in precarious jobs showed that three out of five suffered from stress and a similar number say the cost of living is increasing more than their pay.

Four out of five had previously been in permanent jobs, highlighting the changing nature of the workplace, said the GMB. General secretary Tim Roache said: “That is a sorry state of affairs in the 21st century and a product of government’s failure to tackle bogus self-employment, the use of agency contracts and refusal to ban zerohours contracts.”