Recruiters should do more to push the idea of job shares to clients to tackle the shortage of flexible work for women returning to the labour market after having a child.

The call comes from Helen Wright, director at 9-2-3 Jobs, an agency that specialises in finding flexible work for experienced professionals. Wright was commenting on research released this morning from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that shows the gap between hourly earnings of the men and women becomes steadily wider after women become mothers.

According to the findings, over the subsequent 12 years after giving birth, women's hourly pay rate falls 33% behind men's.

The IFS attributes this in part to women missing on opportunities for promotion as they often return to work in a part-time capacity.

Wright told Recruiter the UK is currently suffering from a lack of flexible working on offer, adding she would like to see more businesses actively offering flexible working – whether that's compressed hours or remote working. 

“I'd also like to see more recruiters actively seek flexible solutions for their clients.

“9-2-3 Jobs specialises in finding flexible work for experienced professionals, so I'm always asking whether the role could be worked remotely, or with fewer hours (for the right candidate). I also suggest job shares. If I have two candidates with 25 years’ experience between them, then I argue that they can bring a lot more to a company than one candidate with just 10 years under their belt.”

Meanwhile, employment lawyer Jacqueline McDermott, consultant solicitor at law firm Keystone Law, told Recruiter agencies could put forward two excellent candidates, seeking to work part time for one role, as employers are obliged to consider candidates seeking part-time work.

“Unless an employer can justify it, then it is not really lawful to advertise a full-time role and most employers will now say part-time and flexible working considered.”

But McDermott warns the prohibitive cost of taking employers to tribunal that fail to offer part-time work deters many candidates from bringing cases against employers.

“The fact is, in reality they won’t pick the part-timer. It is unlawful to discriminate on that basis but people do. It is increasingly difficult for claimants to bring claims because of the cost of doing so from tribunal fees etc.”

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