A new report from the International Labor Organization (ILO) has confirmed that the modern employment relationship is becoming less secure. There has been a movement away from the standard employment model, in which an employee works full time under a permanent contract of employment, to informal employment arrangements characterised by short-term contracts and irregular hours of work. The trend has implications for gender inequality, as a greater proportion of  women make up those in temporary and part-time employment.

Given the report’s findings, the ILO recommends that public policy should focus on ensuring that workers in all types of employment have adequate protection, rather than only those employed under the standard employment model. The ILO also warns against the danger of reducing employment regulation.

In recent years, some countries, notably in Europe, have made changes that have reduced the level of protection for workers in both standard and non-standard employment, with a view to stimulating employment growth. The Changing Nature of Jobs, International Labor Organization, May 2015

In the UK, the movement away from the standard employment model is best depicted by the rise of the zero hours contract. This form of employment has been the subject of much recent scrutiny over whether it offers workers sufficient protection. We previously reported on the Government’s plans to ban exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts (Ban on exclusivity clauses to be widened).

The ILO report, The Changing Nature of Jobs, can be accessed by clicking on the report cover at right: