More than half of adults working variable hours are given less than a week’s notice of their shifts, research has revealed, leading to calls for employers to address job insecurity.
The poll of more than 2,000 adults, conducted for the Living Wage Foundation, found that almost three in five (57 per cent) had roles whose jobs involved variable hours or shift work.
Of these, 55 per cent were given less than a week’s notice of their shifts, while 14 per cent were given less than 24 hours’ notice.
The report also warned of an “insecurity premium” paid by workers on variable hours, with nearly half (47 per cent) of workers on variable hours reporting to have lost 30 or more per month because of factors relating to the uncertainty of their shifts.
This premium was felt worse by low-paid workers, defined as those earning below the Living Wage Foundation’s real Living Wage. Of this group, three in 10 (29 per cent) said they had been forced to increase their reliance on credit to make ends meet, compared to 17 per cent of those at or above the real Living Wage.
The real Living Wage – which is different from the National Living wage – is calculated to be the minimum an individual needs to earn for them and their family to meet the costs of living, and is currently set at 11.05 per hour in London and 9.90 elsewhere.
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