UK Underemployment: Impact on Women and Young Workers

Underemployment is a big problem in the UK, especially for women and young people. It means when someone wants to work more hours than they currently do. They might be looking for another job with more hours or want to work more in their current job. This is a common issue for people who work less than 40 hours a week if they’re under 18, or less than 48 hours if they’re 18 or older.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, underemployment became more noticeable. By the end of 2020, more adults were either unemployed or not working as many hours as they wanted. This situation started to improve in 2021, but the number of underemployed people was still higher than before the 2008 economic crisis. There are now twice as many people underemployed as there are unemployed.

Young people are especially likely to be underemployed. They often end up in jobs with zero-hour contracts (where hours aren’t guaranteed) or part-time work. This can happen because they might not have enough support, education, or money, or live in a place with poor internet or transportation.

Being underemployed can be tough. It can make people stressed and anxious, and they might need to take multiple jobs. This can be bad for their mental health and family life. Over time, it can also hurt their chances of finding better jobs and make them feel like they can’t get stable, full-time work.

To solve this problem, we need to do a few things. This includes training people in new skills, helping with things like finding a place to live and dealing with higher living costs, teaching them how to manage money, and giving career advice. These steps can help people move from underemployment to more stable, full-time jobs.

In the UK, the situation with underemployment and overemployment (working too many hours) is now like it was before the 2008 crisis. But underemployment is still a big issue, especially with the economic problems caused by the pandemic.