Temporary and migrant working

Many of the industries for which HSE is responsible require a flexible workforce to undertake a range of (often unskilled / manual) tasks. With the economy operating at or near full employment, many employers seek to reduce labour costs by sourcing workers on a just-in-time basis, supplied on temporary contracts by independent employment agencies and labour providers. Similarly in some sectors employers find it increasingly difficult to source suitable indigenous labour and rely increasingly - in some cases, extensively - on migrants from EU and non-EU countries. Many are prepared to work in unpleasant and potentially unsafe/unhealthy conditions for comparatively poor wages. An unknown proportion is believed to be working illegally in the UK. SIM 01/2007/04

Read the SIM [PDF 52kb]