Contemporary talk is about the gig economy. Workers say ‘gigs’ are a less secure and more exploitative form of employment. Businesses will say that it is tapping into a trend for flexible working that allows individuals a choice and where, when and how they work.   Interestingly the CIPD reports that the nature of work has not fundamentally changed in the last 20 years and, secondly, in summarising the outcomes of 5 surveys, between 14% and 33% of people in atypical work are only in these roles because they could not get regular employment suggesting that this form of working can suit people.   So far, so good…   In the last quarter there have been a number of legal cases that have found against high profile SMEs because there is confusion over the employment status of the worker or group of workers engaged in the business. This comes at a time when government policy is geared to protecting, or increasing, the tax take.   We would suggest … [Read more...]