The rise of “underemployment” in the UK is disproportionately affecting women, younger workers, and those in sectors with staff shortages, such as retail and healthcare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Workers on zero-hours contracts are struggling to secure sufficient hours, leading to feelings of underutilization and financial strain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These are the findings of a recent three-year study by UK universities<\/a><\/strong> that identifies underemployment as a growing concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More: Women Fill 1 In 5 Commercial Roles In UK\u2019s Top Firms<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s particularly impacting women, younger workers, those with lower qualifications, and ethnic minorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catherine, a 44-year-old retail assistant, exemplifies the challenges underemployed workers face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite a year of service, she remains on a 14-hour contract, often working seven to nine consecutive days by volunteering<\/a><\/strong> for overtime in neighboring towns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An intensive care nurse, Lizzy grapples with reduced shifts and financial difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Similarly, a Teesside University graduate employed by a major supermarket chain struggles to secure more than 16 contracted hours weekly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More: Pay Rises For UK Public Sector Workers Do Not Fuel Inflation, Research Reveals<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Concerns are also raised over the reluctance of employers to offer permanent, full-time contracts, as observed by Claire, a temporary personal assistant for a finance firm, impacting workforce stability and morale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scarcity of suitable full-time opportunities prompts skilled workers like Susie, with a master’s degree in customer service<\/a><\/strong>, to juggle multiple jobs, often working three- or four-day weeks due to insufficient available shifts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The piecemeal working model is questioned for its sustainability, with workers reevaluating the worth of cobbled-together shifts in different places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Need Career Advice? <\/strong>Get employment skills advice at all levels of your career<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n As demand for labor weakens, job vacancies decline, exacerbating the challenges underemployed people face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Office for National Statistics reports a marked decline in earnings growth coinciding with a tougher job market between September and November. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These factors underscore the urgent need for addressing underemployment issues, especially among vulnerable groups, to ensure a more equitable and stable labor market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Name has been changed<\/p>\n\n\n\n Follow us on <\/strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>X<\/strong><\/a>, <\/strong>LinkedIn<\/strong><\/a>, and <\/strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The rise of “underemployment” in the UK is disproportionately affecting women, younger workers, and those in sectors with staff shortages, such as retail and healthcare. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":54509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[415,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-employment-news","category-employment-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whatjobs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Some people are working three jobs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n