- More than 6 million UK workers are in work that leaves them with no guarantees of when they will work, how much they will earn, whether they will have enough hours or even if they will have a job in future.
- More than half of workers with variable hours have lost money through short-notice shifts, cancelled shifts or wasted costs on things like transport and childcare.
- Those affected lose £230 a month on average, rising to £470 among workers experiencing all three.
- 73 per cent of people whose working hours vary have to make sacrifices to make ends meet, such as skipping meals, falling behind on bills or dipping into savings.
- Living Wage Foundation scheme to tackle insecure work gathers pace as number of ‘Living Hours’ employers committed to providing secure, reliable working hours now exceeds 300.
Insecure work is widespread in the UK economy
6.3 million, or nearly one in five, UK workers are in insecure work, new research from the Living Wage Foundation reveals.
Insecure work is work that leaves people without guarantees of when they will work, how much they will earn or even if they’ll have a job in the future.
Wales is the area with the highest proportion of insecure jobs in the UK
- 22 per cent of jobs in Wales were insecure (296,287 insecure workers). This is the highest proportion of insecure work in any UK nation or region.
- 19 per cent of jobs in Scotland were insecure (523,383 insecure workers).
- 19 per cent of jobs in Northern Ireland were insecure (163,866 insecure workers).
This is compared to 6.3 million UK workers in insecure work, representing 19 per cent of the workforce in 2024-25.
Many in insecure work face an ‘insecurity premium’
Not having reliable hours, pay or employment has a massive impact on insecure workers’ lives.
Polling of over 2,000 people who work variable hours undertaken as part of the research found that most faced an ‘insecurity premium’ where they lost hundreds of pounds a month due to shifts being offered too late for them to accept, shifts being cancelled with no or low compensation, or avoidable costs such as non-refundable prepaid transport or childcare.
Over half (55%) of workers with variable hours experienced one of these costs, leaving them on average £230 a month out of pocket. Nearly one in five (19%) experienced all three, costing them on average £470 a month.
Insecure work causes hardship
The polling also showed that most workers with variable working hours face severe hardship. Nearly three in four (73%) had to make sacrifices like skipping meals, falling behind on bills and credit payments, or dipping into personal savings.
Nearly three in five (57%) workers on variable hours report struggling to meet their essential costs such as food, transport, housing costs, bills, and childcare because of the number of hours they work.
Many people working variable hours have little to no savings to fall back in when times are tough and some are struggling with unmanageable debt. Over a third (34%) have less than a month’s outgoings saved, which includes over a fifth (22%) with no savings at all. More than one in four (26%) have debt that is challenging to manage.
Short-notice and cancelled shifts drive the insecurity premium
People working variable hours report getting very short notice of shifts which often means they have to turn work down and losing out on pay. Over half (54%) get less than a week’s notice of shifts and more than one in ten (11%) receive less than 24 hours’ notice. Over two in five (41%) workers on variable hours had to turn down shifts due to short notice and lose out on pay.
Workers with variable hours are also having shifts cancelled unexpectedly. Nearly four in ten (37%) had shifts cancelled in the last month, with 84% receiving less than full pay and 39% receiving less than half pay for these cancelled shifts.
Shift cancellations don’t just mean lost pay, there can also be non-refundable, prepaid costs associated with shifts people thought they would be working, such as childcare, transport and food. Over a third (36%) of workers on variable hours lost money the last time a shift was unexpectedly cancelled.
Millions are in insecure work and on low pay
Millions of workers not only face instability and uncertainty in insecure work, they are also on low pay. 3.4 million people in the UK are paid below the real Living Wage as well as being in insecure work, meaning they aren’t paid an hourly rate which meets everyday needs nor can they rely on getting enough working hours to make ends meet.
Some workers are affected by insecure work more than others
Some workers are more exposed to insecure work than others. Black workers, disabled workers and people working in agriculture are all more likely to be in insecure work.
Black workers are nearly twice as likely as white workers to be in insecure work. Almost one in four (23%) black workers are in insecure work, compared to only 13% of white workers. Nearly one in four (23%) disabled workers are in insecure work, compared to nearly one in five (18%) non-disabled workers. Over half (52%) of people in agricultural jobs are in insecure work.
The Employment Rights Act is a step in the right direction
The news comes in the wake of the UK Government passing the Employment Rights Act in 2025. The Act is set to introduce new rights related to job security, shift notice and minimum guaranteed working hours, marking a welcome step in the right direction in tackling insecure work. But much uncertainty surrounds the measures as many details which will greatly affect the extent of its impact in practice have yet to be decided and implementation won’t begin until 2027.
Living Hours accreditation is a way employers can go further now
The Living Wage Foundation’s Living Hours accreditation is a practical step that employers can take now to tackle insecure work and in-work poverty that goes beyond the measures included in the Employment Rights Act. Accredited Living Hours Employers commit to providing workers with contracts that reflect hours worked, at least sixteen hours of work a week for those who want it, and at least four weeks’ notice of shifts. The movement to challenge the UK’s culture of insecure work is gathering momentum, with 300 Living Hours Employers now committed to ensuring all their workers have the secure working hours they need alongside a real Living Wage to meet everyday needs.
Graham Griffiths, Director of Living Wage Foundation, said:
“Millions of workers are stuck in jobs where they don’t know when they’ll be working or if they’ll get the hours and pay they need, trapping them in poverty and making it impossible to plan a life. Many are now struggling to put food on the table, heat their homes and keep up with bills.
“The Employment Rights Act is a step in the right direction in protecting workers who are all too often bearing the costs of these insecure jobs while employers benefit. But there remains a lot of uncertainty around how strong the Act’s provisions will be.
“There is a growing movement of over 300 responsible Living Hours employers who are choosing to transform millions of people’s lives right now whilst raising the bar for what decent work looks like in the UK by providing employees with the secure working hours they need to thrive. They know decent pay and secure work is good for workers, good for business and good for society.”
Emily Cotterill, Head of Fair Economy, said:
“Insecure work is a real problem in Wales with 22% of the workforce effected. This negatively impacts the lives of thousands of people, taking up their valuable time and costing them hundreds of pounds that could be spent on anything from children’s school shoes, to lunch in a local café, or saving for an emergency. Tackling this problem requires systemic change but individual employers can make a real difference by accrediting as a Living Hours organisation. While percentages can seem abstract the reality of a small nation like Wales is that small changes in actual figures can push the needle on those percentages in a really tangible way.”
Emma Gartside, Founder of Upward Frog Yoga, said:
“These findings underline how widespread the problem of insecure work is with 37 per cent of workers having a shift cancelled in the past month and 10 per cent experiencing cancellations more than five times. We believe that yoga teachers shouldn’t have to exist like this, constantly dealing with insecure schedules and unpaid last-minute cancellations. Becoming an accredited Living Hours Employer has been one of our best business decisions – we guarantee secure hours, proper notice and income protection for the next 30 days (including for our self-employed teachers) – and it has strengthened our organisation, improved retention of talented teachers and helped us attract the best people. I want our teachers to focus on the work they love instead of constantly worrying about cancelled classes or sudden gaps in their income.”
Sophie Walsh, Yoga Teacher at Upward Frog Yoga, said:
“In the past, my schedule as a yoga teacher has been completely unpredictable with last-minute cancellations meaning no pay and the constant stress of not knowing whether I’d earn enough that month. Having secure hours and guaranteed income for the next 30 days has changed that. I can plan my month confidently and manage my commitments. I no longer carry the daily anxiety of unexpected lost earnings.”
Read the report on the Living Wage Foundation website.
