The report, ‘Flexi and flourishing’, commissioned by temporary work platform redwigwam, found that 25% of the 260 employers independently surveyed expect to increase their use of temporary labour with less reliance on permanent hiring. According to the report, the main reason given by employers was the ability to invest with less risk, closely followed by being able to react faster, feeling more in control and the increased appetite of society for working flexibly.

Supporting these findings, a survey of redwigwam’s own worker community found that that three-quarters expect to see flexible work increase as more people demand it. Of the 350 workers surveyed, 48% said they thought people will demand flexible working from employers after the pandemic ends, with 28% believing that flexible working will increase ‘a little’.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show there were around 1.49m people employed as temporary workers in the UK. This is slightly up on a year ago, but down from its peak of 1.63m in 2015.

In her foreword to the report, Lorna Davidson, CEO of redwigwam, writes: “Flexible staffing is one measure on which there is now greater focus. Not only does it enable businesses to increase and scale back capacity as required, it can offer workers a more flexible lifestyle, or ongoing work while they search for a permanent job.”

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