Extract from Alison’s article for Progress Online about zero-hours contracts:

“…The misuse of zero-hours contracts, and the myriad other ways that people’s incomes have been held down, mean that underemployment is now a serious problem, creating a vicious circle of poverty. If employees cannot work all the hours they would wish to this means they have lower incomes, fuelling the cost-of-living crisis.

But crucially -; and what is often missed in this debate – there is also the long-term problem we face when so-called flexibility undermines the long-term health of our labour market, calcifying lower skill levels as uncertainty prevents people investing in themselves. Whether it is the chance of a degree or a mortgage, aspirations are stamped on…”

Read the rest of the article here.