14th July 2026
For many people, having a job is seen as the route to financial security.
But what happens when the job itself is uncertain?.
A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), "Insecure shift: why millions of workers don’t have protections they need", argues that millions of workers across the UK are caught in a cycle of uncertainty because their employment does not provide the stability, income security or protections needed to plan for the future.
The report highlights a growing debate about the quality of work in modern Britain.
It is no longer simply a question of whether people have a job.
It is whether that job provides enough security to allow people to build a stable life.
Having Work Does Not Always Mean Having Security
For many years, governments have promoted employment as the best protection against poverty.
That remains true for many people.
However, JRF argues that the nature of employment matters just as much as whether someone is working.
A person on a secure contract with predictable hours and a regular income has a very different experience from someone whose shifts change every week or whose earnings depend on decisions made at short notice.
The organisation points out that insecure work is closely linked with low pay and financial pressure.
What Is Insecure Work?
Insecure employment can take many forms.
It includes:
unpredictable shift patterns;
zero-hours contracts;
temporary work;
low-paid self-employment;
jobs where workers have little control over their hours;
employment where taking time off for illness or caring responsibilities creates financial difficulty.
For some workers, flexibility can be beneficial.
Students, carers or people with other commitments may value the ability to work when it suits them.
The concern raised by JRF is that flexibility is not always balanced between employer and employee.
For some workers, "flexible" simply means the employer has flexibility while the worker carries the uncertainty.
The Problem of Unpredictable Hours
One of the main issues highlighted by JRF is the difficulty many workers face when they cannot predict how much they will earn from one month to the next.
A cancelled shift is not just an inconvenience.
It can mean:
difficulty paying rent or mortgage costs;
uncertainty over household budgets;
problems accessing credit;
difficulty arranging childcare;
inability to plan ahead.
Economic security depends not only on how much someone earns, but also on whether they can rely on that income.
The Link Between Insecure Work and Poverty
The report argues that insecure employment can trap people in financial difficulty.
Low-paid workers may want more hours but cannot obtain them.
Others may be unable to move to better jobs because the uncertainty of changing employment is too risky.
JRF's wider work highlights that poverty is increasingly affecting people who are already in work, with part-time employees and some self-employed workers facing particularly high risks.
This challenges the idea that simply increasing employment numbers automatically solves living standard problems.
The Impact on Families
Employment insecurity affects more than individual workers.
Families need stability to make long-term decisions.
Questions such as:
Can we afford to move house?
Can we take on a mortgage?
Can we plan childcare?
Can we save for emergencies?
become much harder when income changes from week to week.
For younger workers especially, insecure employment can delay major life decisions.
Why This Matters in Rural Scotland
The issues raised by JRF are particularly relevant to many rural communities.
Areas such as the Highlands often have a higher proportion of employment linked to:
tourism;
hospitality;
agriculture;
fishing;
care services;
seasonal work.
These sectors are vital to local economies, but some naturally involve seasonal demand and changing workloads.
The challenge is ensuring that flexibility does not become insecurity.
For Caithness, where major infrastructure projects may create thousands of temporary construction jobs over coming years, another important question arises:
How many jobs will provide long-term opportunities once construction phases are complete?
The Employer Perspective
There is also another side to the debate.
Many employers argue that flexible working arrangements allow businesses to survive periods of uncertainty, especially in sectors where demand changes quickly.
A hotel, restaurant or seasonal business may not be able to guarantee identical staffing levels throughout the year.
The challenge is finding a balance between giving businesses the flexibility they need and ensuring workers are not left carrying all the risk.
What Does JRF Want Changed?
JRF argues that more needs to be done to improve job security.
Its proposals include:
stronger rights for workers facing unpredictable hours;
better protection when people become ill or need time away from work;
greater access to stable employment;
improving the quality of jobs as well as increasing employment levels.
The argument is that a stronger labour market is not just about creating more jobs, but creating jobs that allow people to build secure lives.
The Bigger Question
The debate about insecure work raises a wider question about the future of the UK economy.
If people are working but still unable to feel financially secure, then simply measuring success by employment levels may not tell the whole story.
A healthy economy requires businesses that can grow, but it also requires workers who feel confident enough to spend, save and plan for the future.
In The End
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's report highlights an important change in the way we think about work.
The question is no longer only:
"Does everyone have a job?"
It is also:
"Does that job provide the security people need to build a stable life?"
For millions of workers, the answer is still uncertain.
As Britain looks for stronger economic growth, improving the quality and security of employment may be just as important as creating more jobs.
Read the full JRF report HERE