1 million UK Agency Workers by 2020

The number of agency workers is set to reach one million by 2020, says new research.

14:28 05 December 2016

A research conducted by the Resolution Foundation has predicted that the number of agency workers will reach one million by 2020 if current growth trends continue. 

 

Describing agency workers as “the forgotten face”, the think tank estimates a full-time agency worker gets £430 less than an employee in the same role. The organisation, which campaigns on issues around low pay, says the workers are disadvantaged because not only they receive low wages but also because they are not entitled to sick or parental leave. 

 

Lindsay Judge, a senior policy analyst, said: "While zero-hours contracts are often in the news, agency workers are the 'forgotten face' of the modern workforce, despite being just as prevalent across the labour market," 

 

"This fast-growing group is not just made up of young people looking for temporary employment as some have suggested, but instead includes many older full-time, permanent workers.

 

"With the prospect of higher inflation squeezing living standards in the years ahead it is important that the discussion of the non-traditional parts of work in modern Britain consider the relatively lower pay that agency workers receive compared to identical employees in similar jobs," she added.