“It is right that the Labour Party has put work at the heart of its manifesto. There are few things that people care about more than their jobs, and making great work happen should be a priority for any incoming government.
“We welcome the proposal to broaden the apprenticeship levy, allowing more flexibility for business. We hope it will allow levy money to be spent on training temporary workers. It is also good to see the manifesto acknowledge that the future immigration system should be based on the UK’s skills needs. Labour’s ambitious housebuilding plans, for example, will require large numbers of construction workers which the UK currently doesn’t have.
“While it is important that the next government creates a regulatory environment that helps workers to thrive, it must also protect one of our labour market’s greatest strengths – its two-way flexibility. Our new research ‘Flexibility Works’ shows that many people actively choose temporary work, freelancing or contracting over a permanent job. Any changes to rights and regulations around temporary workers must also keep our jobs market agile for both employers and workers.”
The REC’s research report Flexibility works: Why people choose flexible work can be found here.
