One in 10 UK adults have never had a paid job

Despite record employment figures, a report released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), found one in 10 UK adults have never done paid work, with students accounting for a large majority of the 3.6 million people. Lorna Davidson, Founder and CEO of short-term recruitment specialists, RedWigWam, shares her thoughts.

 The report released by ONS, showed the number of 16 – 64 year olds who have never had a paid job has increased by 270,000 since 2009. The results also showed that women were more likely to have never done paid work than men, particularly in older age groups.

Among non-students aged 25 to 64 years who had not had paid employment, the results found almost three quarters were female. “This is partly because women are more likely to take on the bulk of childcare,” the ONS found.

The top reasons for not working were found to be; looking after the family or home, studying full time, long term sick, or currently looking for work.

Lorna Davidson, Founder and CEO, of short-term recruitment specialists, RedWigWam, comments;

“In this day and age there should be no reason for people not to be able to work flexibly around their lifestyle or be able to earn a wage on their own terms.

“At RedWigWam, we have a database of 80,000 workers who use the site to find temporary jobs that fit around their lifestyle; whether it’s to have a better work-life balance, gain experience and extra money whilst they study or just build up that rainy day fund. Many of the jobs we offer can be incorporated into your daily routine, school run, food shop and even completed from the comfort of your own home.

“We are passionate about supporting and getting people into work – we help people to take that first step into employment, to build up their confidence and earn extra cash as and when they need it, when it suits them. Long gone are the days of standard 9-5 jobs and it’s time society realised that the world of work needs to evolve to become more accessible to everyone.”

 

To find out more, visit: www.redwigwam.com