Report

Precarious prospects

This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation examines the labour market experiences of foreign-born workers.

This briefing note – the second in a Resolution Foundation research programme on precarious work in the UK, supported by Unbound Philanthropy – examines the labour market experiences of foreign-born workers. While many secure high-skilled, well-paid jobs, we focus on the substantial minority who face barriers to stable and secure employment. We find that foreign-born workers, particularly those who have recently arrived in the UK, are disproportionately likely to be in precarious forms of work such as flexible contracts (for example, zero-hours or temporary work) or to work in the gig economy (finding work through apps). And wider qualitative evidence, focusing on the vulnerable groups that the household surveys we use may struggle to pick up, suggests that some foreign-born workers are particularly exposed to unlawful treatment by their employers.