Increasing job security: The potential impact of employment rights reforms in the UK
This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation examines the potential impact of employment rights reform in the UK. Work insecurity has been a persistent feature of the UK labour market for over two decades. In 2023, our analysis found that over one in five UK workers (21.4%) – around 6.8 million people –...
A divided workforce?
This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation examines workers' views on health and employment in 2025. The UK workforce faces a complex web of health and employment challenges that could result in more people prematurely leaving the labour market. While Covid-19 may have accelerated this trend, the underlying drivers pre-date it – the...
No compromises
This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation looks at supporting people with MS to thrive in and out of work. There are an estimated 150,000 people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). It is a condition that affects the central nervous system and can cause problems with movement, thinking and feeling. People’s experience of...
Beyond the office? How remote and hybrid working can help close the disability employment gap
This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation explores the role remote and hybrid working can play in helping disabled people to stay in, or re-join, the labour market. Overnight, the Covid-19 pandemic opened up a new era of workplace flexibility for millions of people with a great increase in working remotely. Today, one...
Stemming the tide: Healthier jobs to tackle economic inactivity
This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation aims to provide policy direction for how Government and employers can work together to help retain more people. The new Government has set an ambitious target to raise the employment rate to 80% – which would represent an increase of approximately 2.4 million more people in...
No Progress? Tackling long-term insecure work
This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation analyses the impact that the quality of work has on long-term employment outcomes. This report analyses the impact that the quality of work has on long-term employment outcomes. Using longitudinal data, we tracked the employment trajectories of 10,804 UK workers in secure and insecure jobs over...
Time off: redesigning leave policies to support longer, healthier working lives
This report from UK think tank The Work Foundation investigates whether current time-off policies are sufficient to support an older and sicker workforce stay-in work. Work Foundation analysis shows time off in the UK has become widespread, but access to it unequal. We found that 1.15 million workers are not eligible for Statutory Sick Pay...
Shifting priorities? Employer responsibility in the third year of the cost of living crisis
This report from UK think tank The Work Foundation looks at how employers are supporting their workers with rising costs. Work Foundation analysis shows that low paid workers are vulnerable to the continued cost of living crisis as only 30% of British firms plan above inflation pay rises this year. Our new report with the...
Double jeopardy: insecurity at work and at home
This report from UK think tank the Work Foundation looks at the UK's private rented sector. This report from UK think tanks The Work Foundation looks at the UK's private rented sector. Our analysis shows that 1.4 million UK workers face the ‘double jeopardy’ of insecurity at work and at home as private rents hit...
Zero choices: Swapping zero-hour contracts for secure, flexible working
This report from UK think tank The Work Foundation investigates the contemporary use of zero-hour contracts in the UK. Analysis by the work foundation has found that a record 1.1 million working age people primarily work under zero-hour contracts, the poster child for insecure work. Our new briefing investigates the contemporary use of zero-hour contracts...