Covid-19 has amplified workplace inequalities, with women, carers and those in frontline sectors among the hardest hit. Our new report explores the specific impact of the pandemic on part-time employees, and sets out what needs to be done to ensure they are not left behind.
Our working practices are changing. From the homeworking revolution to the increase in hybrid working, the debate on productivity and flexibility is likely to rage on for some time. These changes have also exposed and amplified existing inequalities, especially for part-time employees, who often work on the frontline in low-paid jobs.
Early in the pandemic, it immediately became clear that these roles were facing the brunt of job losses and changes in working hours. Furlough has been effective in keeping millions of employees in work, but it is masking significant challenges, especially for part-timers. And as we move towards economic recovery, there is a risk that the gap between the flex haves and have-nots, which existed before Covid-19, will widen significantly, leaving many frontline workers behind.
It is for this reason that we have launched Fair Flexible Futures, a campaign for change with the aim of making good jobs flexible and flexible jobs good. In this, the first in a series of Fair Flexible Futures reports, we present new analysis on how part-time employees are faring, and explore what more needs to be done to support them.
