TUC – historic pay squeeze continues as number of people on zero-hours contracts hits record high

Real wages still well below 2008 level, says union body
Real pay positive only in the business and finance sectors
Unemployment up by 109,000 over last quarter
Number of people on zero-hours contracts hits 1.2 million
Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) labour market figures, which show real wages falling by 0.6% on the year (on CPI measure) and unemployment rising by 109,000 over the last quarter, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said:

“The government has nothing to celebrate.

“They are presiding over the longest pay squeeze in modern history with real wages still worth less than in 2008.

“The only group of workers enjoying a serious bump in their pay are high-earners in the City. Household budgets for the vast majority of Britons remain under intense pressure.

“Meanwhile Britain’s jobs market is showing real signs of weakening with unemployment on the rise.

“We need a credible economic plan that delivers decent, well-paid jobs for everyone. The Conservatives – despite being in office for 13 years – have yet to produce one.”

Commenting on today’s zero-hours contracts figures, which showed that a record-high 1.2 million people were employed on these contracts, Paul Nowak added:

“This is a badge of shame for the Conservatives. Insecure work has reached epidemic levels under their watch.

“Zero-hours contracts should have no place in the modern labour market. They allow workers to be treated like disposable labour.

“That’s why we need stronger rights at work to give everybody dignity and respect at work.”

TUC analysis published yesterday revealed the number of Black and ethnic minority (BME) workers in insecure work more than doubled from 2011 to 2022 (from 360,200 to 836,300.