A brand new report from the Institute for the Way forward for Work (IFOW) exhibits that whereas employment ranges throughout the UK stay excessive, the standard of labor out there to individuals varies sharply relying on the place they dwell. The 2025 version of the Good Work Time Collection means that regional inequalities in job high quality are widening. Though persons are in work, they don’t seem to be essentially in good work, with the research highlighting points corresponding to low autonomy, poor pay, unsocial hours and restricted alternatives for improvement in lots of elements of the nation.
The information means that the focus of high-quality jobs in additional prosperous areas is reinforcing current patterns of inequality. It additionally reveals that these gaps are rising. For instance, the hole in good work scores between the best and lowest ranked native authorities in England has elevated over the past yr. Related patterns are seen in Scotland and Wales.
The report introduces a brand new ‘Disruption Index’, which assesses how uncovered completely different jobs and areas are to alter introduced on by automation. It finds that these disruptions are already inconsistently distributed and should exacerbate current inequalities except rigorously managed.
The evaluation additionally identifies trade-offs between job high quality measures. Whereas skilled and knowledge-based roles usually supply higher pay and improvement alternatives, they’re additionally extra more likely to contain unsocial hours or unpredictable schedules, significantly in England and Wales.
The findings counsel that the best way work is structured, designed and managed is simply as vital as pay in relation to its general high quality. The report requires good work to be made a central coverage goal and gives suggestions on the right way to enhance job high quality throughout the board. These embody the event of localised employment methods, higher help for staff affected by automation and a renewed deal with job design.
The report’s authors declare that the research provides to a rising physique of proof suggesting that whereas employment charges are sometimes used as a measure of financial well being, they might conceal deeper issues associated to equity, wellbeing and entry to alternative.
