Status critical
Think tank: Fabian Society
Author(s): Luke Raikes; Morgan Bestwick
August 17, 2026
This report from UK think tank the Fabian Society explores why employment status is essential to making work pay.
Employment status is high stakes. An individual’s employment status determines their rights and protections at work, as well as the requirements employers and engagers can make of their time. Yet identifying whether someone is an employee, ‘worker’ or self-employed is now a major challenge in the UK labour market.
With the Employment Rights Act set to shift the balance of power further towards labour, longstanding questions around employment status are likely to become more important than ever.
Drawing on three focus groups with freelancers, gig economy workers and other self-employed people, Luke Raikes and Morgan Bestwick investigate the specific problems with employment status and set out a roadmap for addressing the most pressing issues facing workers today.
