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POOR job quality is costing the economy up to £41 billion a year, with 1.77 million workers suffering job-related ill-health, according to a report published today.
In the new report by the Renewing Work Advisory Group of Experts (ReWage), Labour was warned against enacting welfare cuts that force people into low quality work.
The Case for Creating Healthy Jobs paper said that tackling job insecurity, low pay and long hours could significantly boost worker wellbeing, productivity and reduce strain on public health services.
Lead author Professor Chris Warhurst, from Warwick’s Institute for Employment Research, said: “If we want to reduce health and welfare costs, we need to improve job quality. The evidence suggests that good jobs provide good health.”
“The link between jobs and health needs to become a commonplace consideration at sector and workplace level,” the paper said.
It recommended new laws making it mandatory for organisations to undertake proactive assessment of some potential health risks covering terms of employment as well as working practices.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Improving the quality of work in Britain is good for workers and our economy.
“Work related ill-health is costing us hundreds of millions each week — that’s billions of pounds down the drain every year.
“That’s why the government’s Employment Rights Bill is so important. Cracking down on exploitative practices like zero-hours contracts and giving people more security will boost workers’ health, well-being and productivity. It will also help more people stay in work.
“We need to turn the corner on Britain’s low-rights, low-pay economic model that has been tested to destruction over the last 14 years.
“Giving working people more control and predictability over their lives will help create a happier, healthier and more robust workforce.”
Alice Martin, head of research at the Work Foundation think tank, said: “At a time when the UK government is trying to boost employment levels, this is important research shows it is a false economy to push people into bad quality work.
“One in five workers in the UK are in severely insecure jobs, which by their very nature are unsustainable over the long-term.
“They can create a lifetime of churn and uncertainty, which impacts workers' health and financial security.”
The Department for Work and Pensions was contacted for comment.
