Working life ësignificantly betterí after 10 years of Labour

Most new jobs created between 1997 and 2006 were permanent and full time ñ contrary to predictions about the rise of temporary, insecure work made in the 1990s

The Labour government has re-regulated the labour market without any credible evidence of damage to economic performance or organisational effectiveness; unemployment has remained relatively low

Many worthwhile reforms (from the national minimum wage, to flexible working rights, to information and consultation rights) have offered a means of redress for employees ñ but enforcement remains an issue

The Labour government deserves ë7 out of 10í for its effect on working life during the last decade, a new report says today.

This score is due to its record in maintaining economic growth and low unemployment, while legislating for greater justice at work through valuable new rights for employees. This balance is Labourís ëcentral achievementí in the sphere of work, the authors say.

The report argues that while a great deal remains to be done ñ especially on the quality of working life or ëgood workí agenda ñ the environment for work is much more benign than it was.

Meanwhile, many of the predictions about the future trajectory of work made in the 1990s have thankfully not come about. In the last decade before the millennium, some theorists and politicians foretold the decline of the ëproper jobí in advanced economies in the early 21st century as temporary, ultra-flexible, part-time or self-employed forms of work rose and insecurity became widespread.

Instead, the proper job experienced a renaissance: three quarters of the 2.9 million new jobs created between 1999 and 2006 were permanent and full time ñ quite different from the picture between 1986 and 1996. Job insecurity and fears about the decline of the ëjob-holding societyí have since waned. The employment rate (the share of the working age population in a job), at 74.6 per cent, is comparable to the mid 1970s - at 76 per cent the highest ever achieved.

David Coats, associate director of policy at The Work Foundation and one of the authors of the report, said: ëWork is one area of policy where Tony Blairís administrations have not only been extremely active over the last decade, but in which that activity has been for the better. The government has legislated to give workers a means of redress against some of the excesses of flexible labour markets ñ often in the face of resistance from employers - while simultaneously maintaining the dynamism of the economy.

ëIt is true that there is a legitimate concern about how well these rights are being enforced ñ especially among vulnerable groups of workers ñ and there may be a case for some further amendments to the law. Nevertheless, now the era of re-regulating the relationship between employers and employees appears to be at an end, Labourís workplace reforms can be seen not only as an ethical step forward, but perhaps also as a contribution to closing the productivity gap with other major economies as more employers are encouraged to abandon low-pay, low-skill, low-productivity business models.í

Key improvements include:

The National Minimum Wage: introduced in April 1999 at a modest 3.60 for the adult rate, today the NMW is one of the highest in the world (the adult rate will rise to 5.52 in October). Each uprating affects about one million workers, 68 per cent of them women. It has reduced the extent of low pay and improved the relative position of the working poor.

Flexible working, work-life balance and families: one of the areas where the government has shown most enthusiasm, the availability of flexible working practices has risen significantly ñ helped by the right to request of 2003. However, there is evidence of unmet demand, and availability is still less than in other European countries. Maternity leave entitlements have been extended and paternity leave introduced in April 2003.

Working Time: The number of employees working more than 48 hours a week has declined since 1998, a trend that has coincided with (but is not wholly due to) the implementation of the Working Time Directive in 1998. This measure also granted four weekís paid leave to full time workers (2.5 million workers saw their entitlements rise) for the first time.

Trade unions: The Employment Relations Act 1999 has provided trade unions a statutory procedure to gain recognition for collective bargaining, but membership has stabilised rather than grown; unions need to work on their ëofferí to non-members.

The report also examines change in work outside areas that are directly affected by political reform, but over which Labour has presided.

On job satisfaction, for example, the trend towards falling satisfaction that marred the 1990s (due largely to workers having to work harder and feeling more tightly managed and controlled) appears to have been halted.

Yet what the paper describes as ëthe UKís most significant challengeí regarding work remains to be further addressed ñ Britainís bad jobs problem. Evidence suggests Britain has more monotonous, repetitive jobs than comparable economies, while workersí sense of autonomy and control is low.