Scottish Government ‘could do more’ to halt decline in job quality

The Scottish Government needs to do more to drive up employment standards and eliminate poor working practices, a group of MSPs has said.

In a new report the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee warned there has been a “decline in job quality” since 2008, including an increase in low paid and zero hours jobs.

This has led to poor health and a weaker economy, the report said.

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MSPs praised the Government’s fair work agenda, but warned Scotland’s enterprise agencies need to shift priorities, and fairer work practices should be embedded in procurement.

The committee’s convener Murdo Fraser MSP said they had heard evidence of declining job quality. “Whilst employment statistics point to an increase to those in work, if we look beyond the figures, we have uncovered a worrying trend in poor quality employment.

“We concluded that to start to reverse this trend, we need to ensure that public money used to develop businesses supports an agenda that paves the way for a fair, sustainable economy,” he said.

Last year the Government launched a voluntary scheme called the Scottish Business Pledge which encourages businesses to pledge progressive job practices.

Powers over the Work Programme will be devolved to Scotland in 2017.