Retail sector calls on government not to ‘regulate flexible jobs out of existence’

The British Retail Consortium issued its warning on Sunday, labelling the government’s proposed reforms “poorly designed” and saying they could jeopardise employment opportunities for numerous cohorts of workers.

The BRC pointed to its own survey data, which found that 67% of part-time workers took their current roles because of the flexibility they offered around commitments such as study, childcare, caring responsibilities, or other aspects of daily life.

This rose to 80% with part-time workers with children under the age of 18.

It comes as the government launches its consultation on guaranteed hours proposals under the Employment Rights Act.

It will cover key questions such as how ‘low hours’ contracts are defined, how working hours are measured and how shifts can be changed. The BRC said “these choices will determine the extent to which retailers continue to offer flexible hours that suit both businesses and workers, or whether they are forced to lock in hours that are only needed at peak times”.

The BRC added that “for millions of people, flexible work is what makes employment possible in the first place” and said that retail plays a “major role in providing these opportunities” – offering nearly three million part-time roles.

Retail jobs, it points out, are shaped by demand, “which can vary significantly from week to week and season to season”, with many retailers offering additional hours during busy period like Christmas, and fewer hours when demand is lower.

“Proposals that risk turning temporary peaks into permanent contractual commitments could make it harder for employers to offer those extra hours in the first place, reducing opportunities for workers to earn more when they want or need it,” it said.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson added: “It’s vital that we don’t regulate flexible jobs out of existence. Flexible and part-time work is how millions of people make employment work for them – balancing shifts alongside study, childcare or caring responsibilities, and retail plays a vital role in providing those opportunities.

“For many workers, that flexibility isn’t a ‘nice to have’ – it’s what makes employment possible and allows them to take on extra hours when it suits them. Retailers need to offer those additional hours when demand is there, but they cannot guarantee them all year round. If reforms mean temporary peaks become permanent commitments for responsible businesses, they will offer fewer hours in the first place – reducing both opportunity and the flexibility that workers value and rely on.”