REVEALED: The extent of modern slavery in the UK workforce

The number of people reported as potential victims of slavery and human trafficking in the UK has more than doubled in the past three years, according to the National Crime Agency.

Recently, high street names such as Boohoo, Missguided and the embattled Sports Direct, have been identified as not adhering to legal requirements. And, according to new research, businesses that fail to monitor recruitment is to blame.

The research, led by the University of Bath’s School of Management with the University of Sheffield, found that layers of outsourcing, subcontracting and informal hiring of temporary staff are causing victims of modern slavery to become inadvertently hidden within the workforce.

The researchers interviewed business experts, NGOs, trade unions, law firms and the police and concluded that the key issue in tackling modern slavery is understanding the labour supply chain. Networks are often unregulated, and contingent and sometimes forced or trafficked workers are recruited, transported, and supplied to business by third party agents.