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UK faces insecure job ‘crisis’ as government plans to pull pandemic safety net away

Key workers, new parents and those unable to work will suffer when furlough pay stops and benefits are cut back

UK faces insecure job ‘crisis’ as government plans to pull pandemic safety net away
Many key workers are likely to have insecure, low-paid jobs. | Robert Evans / Alamy Stock Photo. All rights reserved.
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The UK government’s plans to stop furlough pay and cut temporary benefits could push many workers into low-paid, insecure jobs.

A fifth of workers, 3.7m people, are in low-paid and insecure employment. These workers were four times more likely to lose their jobs during the pandemic than those on permanent contracts, according to new research by the Living Wage Foundation.

The report, published today, said the UK has "entered a new crisis with structurally high levels of work insecurity" remaining unchanged over a decade on from the financial crash.