Working arrangements | What is the future of work post COVID-19?

In the second of our “Sixty Second Read” series, our Flexible Working expert Neville Henderson looks at working arrangements post COVID 19…

Coronavirus is forcing us to rethink and reappraise our methodology of how to value jobs.

The essential nature of the “keyworkers” has only recently been recognised culminating in high praise and well deserved applause each Thursday evening. However, this celebration has not led to their fundamental nature conferring high pay. Not only are this crucial group of carers, drivers, and supermarket workers allowing many of us to be able to work from home, safe and able to order supplies, it is clear that these roles, that the government previously classed as ‘low skilled’  are also some the lowest paid jobs in the UK. The Institute of Fiscal Studies has recently announced that compared to similar workers in non-key occupations, the average keyworker earns around 9% less per hour – with those in the food sector earning just £8.59 per hour on average.

Added to this low pay is the nature of their work arrangements. Many of these “keyworkers” include the self-employed, un-salaried and people on variable contracts, such as zero or minimal hour contracts.  A recent study by the universities of Oxford, Zurich and Cambridge entitled “Inequality in the Impact of the Coronavirus Shock: New Survey Evidence for the UK”  highlights the differences in this economic disruption across workers of not only different income levels and age but also those employed under different work arrangements.