Learning and Work Institute has produced this Better Work Network Paper that looks at workers priorities for employment in London, whether the Covid-19 crisis has impacted this and what Londoner’s would like to see the Mayor of London prioritise following the Mayoral Elections in May.
The paper explores people’s wellbeing at work, what good or quality employment looks like for them and what their barriers to work to good quality and fulfilling work are.
You can read the full report here.
Context
London’s labour market has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. The unemployment rate in the capital is currently the highest in the UK, following a sharp increase (2.7 percentage points) between February 2020 and February 2021. Meanwhile, the decline in the number of payrolled employees in the capital (5.4%) in the year to March 2021 is nearly double the rate of decline for the UK (2.8%).
The economic impact of the pandemic across the capital has been both sharp and uneven. The sectors which have been worst affected by social distancing and lockdown restrictions – including retail and hospitality – have a higher concentration of low-income earners, who were and remain at a higher risk of redundancies, pay cuts and furloughing. As of February 2021, the highest number of furloughed jobs in London remained concentrated in the accommodation, food services, wholesale and retail sectors.
Key Findings
- Londoners prioritise adequate salary, a good work/life balance and feeling valued at work in a job.
- Almost half of London workers are currently dissatisfied with their salary and over 40% are dissatisfied with opportunities for progression. Young people aged 18 to 24 (40%) are the least likely to say they are satisfied with opportunities for progression
- Reflecting the impacts of the pandemic on London, more than one in six have become dissatisfied with their pay since the onset of the pandemic and one in ten with opportunities for progression.
- Nearly one in five working in London do not have a secure contract with a minimum set of hours. This rises to two in five (41%) among low-income workers, and part-time workers (44%). Nearly a third of young people would prefer to work longer hours for more
pay. - There was a high prevalence of work-related stress impacting on workers’ well-being in the last year. Almost two in five London workers (39%) have felt unwell due to work-related stress during the last 12 months.
- Londoners’ outlooks on their future careers appears to be largely driven by age and employment status, with older, low-income and part-time workers less likely to feel positive about future opportunities for progression.
- Views on barriers to better work vary according to ethnicity, gender, age – highlighting inequalities in access to opportunity and individuals’ experience of discrimination. Over a quarter of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Londoners identified ethnicity as a barrier to better jobs, while 15% of women saw gender as a barrier.
- Low-income and manual workers were more likely to cite lack of access to training opportunities and qualifications as barriers to better work.
With rates of in-work poverty rising, the cost of living, pay and training were at the top of Londoners’ priorities for action on employment by the Mayor of London.
