West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris has raised concerns after new analysis revealed around one in four people in Bath and North East Somerset are in “insecure work”.

Mayor Dan Norris with members of the Good Employment Charter | Photo © WECA
The rate is higher than the national average, and is “too high”, according to the regional mayor.
Mr Norris is working with The Work Foundation, who published the figures, to implement their recommendations to Mayoral Combined Authorities to help tackle the “scourge” of insecure work in his area.
Insecure work is typically low-paid, offering workers fewer rights and protections.
This means hours can be subject to the whims of managers and they can lose work without notice.
Low-paid work is increasingly insecure work. In 2011, 1 in 8 low paid jobs were insecure, but by the end of 2022, 1 in 5 low paid jobs were defined as insecure.
The industries in the West of England with the highest proportion of insecure work are the elementary occupations, caring, and leisure services.
Mayor Dan Norris said: “No matter what job you do, everyone deserves dignity at work.
“But too many workers in the West of England are trapped in insecure jobs without proper rights and protections. As a Jobs First Mayor, I find that completely unacceptable.
“The Mayoral Combined Authority I lead is doing all it can to back the West’s workers, not least through initiatives like my Good Employment Charter, and multi-million-pound hands-on training courses to give locals the skills they need to find good-quality, unionised jobs in our great region.
“And I’ll go even further, working with The Work Foundation, and our trade unions in the process.
“But we need ministers to play their part too. I want to see things like exploitative zero hours contracts banned completely, and fair pay agreements to lift pay and standards across whole industries in my region.
“That can only come from a Labour Government in charge.
“It’s time to end the scourge of insecure work in the West of England.”