‘Don’t regulate flexible jobs out of existence’
Two-thirds of workers choose their jobs because of the flexibility they offer, according to new polling, as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) warns that poorly designed Guaranteed Hours reforms could put those opportunities at risk, and that the government must not regulate flexible jobs out of existence.
YouGov polling commissioned by the BRC found that 67% of part-time workers took their role because they needed flexibility around commitments such as study, childcare, caring responsibilities or other aspects of everyday life. Among part-time workers with children under 18, this rose to 80%.
The findings come as the government launches its consultation on Guaranteed Hours proposals under the Employment Rights Act – reforms that will shape how flexible and part-time work is offered across the economy.
The consultation covers key questions, such as how ‘low-hours’ contracts are defined, how working hours are measured over time, and how shifts can be changed. These choices will determine the extent to which retailers continue to offer flexible hours that suit both businesses and workers, or whether they are forced to lock in hours that are only needed at peak times.
For millions of people, flexible work is what makes employment possible in the first place. It allows students to earn while studying, parents to work around childcare, carers to balance responsibilities and older workers to remain in employment.
Retail plays a major role in providing those opportunities. As the UK’s largest private sector employer, supporting nearly three million jobs, more than half of all retail roles are part-time (57.8%) – significantly above the UK average across the wider economy.
But retail jobs are shaped by customer demand, which can vary significantly from week to week and season to season. Businesses often offer additional hours during busy periods, such as Christmas or sales, and fewer hours when demand is lower.
Proposals that risk turning temporary peaks into permanent contractual commitments could make it harder for employers to offer those extra hours in the first place, reducing opportunities for workers to earn more when they want or need it.
The Guaranteed Hours consultation comes shortly after the Milburn Review highlighted the scale of the challenge facing youth employment, with more than one million young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “It’s vital that we don’t regulate flexible jobs out of existence. Flexible and part-time work is how millions of people make employment work for them – balancing shifts alongside study, childcare or caring responsibilities, and retail plays a vital role in providing those opportunities.
“For many workers, that flexibility isn’t a ‘nice to have’ – it’s what makes employment possible and allows them to take on extra hours when it suits them. Retailers need to offer those additional hours when demand is there, but they cannot guarantee them all year round. If reforms mean temporary peaks become permanent commitments for responsible businesses, they will offer fewer hours in the first place – reducing both opportunity and the flexibility that workers value and rely on.”