Temporary Staff | Gig economy reforms get mixed reaction

The government is planning to introduce measures which will “fire the starting gun” on the race to professionalise the gig economy.

This will include scrapping the loophole known as the Swedish derogation which allows companies to pay agency workers less than full-time staff. Workers will also be able to access a written statement of rights on their first day, the maximum employment tribunal fees for employers who show “malice, spite and gross oversight” will be quadrupling, and seasonal workers’ entitlement to paid holidays and a right to request a “more stable” contract will be bolstered.

Matt Weston, UK Managing Director at Robert Half, suggested the new reforms are the first step towards a new form of labour market. “The Government’s new workplace reforms have fired the starting gun on the race to professionalise the gig economy,” he explained.

“Short-term employees are proving to be more vital to the UK’s economy with each passing day as companies compete to plug the skills gap created by digitalisation."