Rising employment – employees need to know their rights

There are a million more people are in work compared to early 2010 according to figures released in October by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The total number of people in employment is now at a new record high, with the rise being driven by growth in full-time and permanent jobs.

These figures also show that there are more than 540,000 vacancies available in the UK economy at any one time.

This is accompanied by a welcome fall in unemployment of more than 18,000 over the last 3 months – a figure that includes a significant fall in long-term unemployment of more than 15,000.

Minister for Employment Esther McVey said: “These figures show a rise in employment of more than a million under this government – and they show that there are now more people in work than ever before.

“That’s a really positive sign of growth in the UK economy, and a credit to British businesses for creating those jobs.

“We are not complacent – there’s still work to do – but with more than 500,000 vacancies currently available, and with all the signs being that the economy is turning a corner, we can see that there are opportunities out there for hardworking people who aspire to get on in life.”

However, as well as more people in employment, there were 132,000 redundancies in June to August 2013, this was an increase of 14,000 on the previous quarter and 1,000 on the year.

It is essential that employees are aware of their rights upon starting a new job. For example, employers are legally obliged to provide employees with a statement of the main terms and conditions of their employment (i.e. an employment contract) not later than two months after their employment commences.

At Royds, our experts can advise on all areas of employment law including contracts of employment, equal pay and disciplinary and grievance procedures.

For more information, please contact us.