Recruitment body slams TUC report on agency work

The TUCís latest attack on agency work by the TUC is lazy, unfounded and completely out of touch with the reality of the UK labour market say the representative body of the UK recruitment industry.



The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), which represents over 7000 recruitment agencies, has countered both the methodology and content of the TUC report on agency work that was released earlier today:

This so-called dossier is based on a few isolated case studies and it is an aberration for the TUC to use this as a means of calling for the type of regulation that could have a substantial impact on the UK labour market.

The RECís own research on temporary work in the UK has been based on externally validated independent research and on survey of several thousand temps (see below). This shows temporary work is increasingly valued as both a short-term and longer-term career option.

The TUC report lists examples of abuses that are in fact already banned under existing UK regulations. New regulation such as AWD could limit the viability of temporary work and costs jobs.

Commenting on the TUC dossier, Gareth Osborne, REC Managing Director, said: The TUCís report portrays temporary workers as systematically downtrodden and exploited. This is a picture that the vast majority of temporary workers themselves do not recognise and that completely misrepresents the reality of temporary work in the UK. The TUCís latest attack is misguided and misinformed and the call for yet more regulation could actually limit the opportunities that temporary work provides to thousands of workers every day. It is time for the TUC to recognise that more regulation should not be seen as an end in itself.

Findings from REC Research

The REC has clear and independent research that disputes much of the TUC report on agency work that was released earlier today. The following findings are based on a poll of over 2,400 temporary workers across all sectors:

91% of temporary workers believe that temping gives them the flexibility to balance work and personal life

89% of temporary workers believe that temping is a stepping-stone to permanent work where permanent work was wanted

84% of temporary workers believed that temping gave them independence and control over their own destiny

86% of temporary workers believe that temping gives them invaluable experience and the opportunity to learn more things

88% believed that temping gave them a variety of work and an opportunity to meet different people.

77% of temporary workers felt at least as valued as those doing permanent work

The following data is based on 251 completed telephone interviews in September 2005. The research was undertaken amongst UK households by BMG Research for the RECís Industry Research Unit using a random digit methodology to emulate a probability (random) sample:

Four times more agency workers are satisfied with temporary work than dissatisfied

Only one in seven agency workers is dissatisfied to any degree

Satisfaction among agency workers is highest in respect to working relations (71%) and convenience of travelling to work (69%)

Over 50% of agency workers feel they receive at least the same pay as permanent workers. A substantial number (24%) believe that they actually get paid more

Over half of all respondents (56%) have either achieved NVQ Level 3 or equivalent, or a higher level qualification

In addition, 39% of agency workers were offered training during their assignment which challenges current stereotypes about temps lacking training & development opportunities