EU exit: workers' rights and the London labour market

• London’s economy is changing, with a rise in self-employment, partly driven by a growing gig economy.
• 18 percent of all workers in London are self-employed – that’s the highest rate in the UK.
• Two thirds of self-employed Londoners earn less than the equivalent of a full-time employee on the London Living Wage (currently £9.75 per hour).
• EU employment law sets a minimum standard for workers’ rights, but post-Brexit UK workers’ rights could start to fall below the standard set.
• Better paid jobs and more flexible working options will be key to tackling low pay and unlocking the potential of London’s labour market.

The Economy Committee publishes its short report, ‘EU exit: workers’ rights and the London labour market’, which sets out robust and radical approaches to support low paid workers in a post-Brexit London:

• The Mayor should accelerate work on take-up of the London Living Wage, to help reduce the proportion of Londoners facing in-work poverty.
• Given the uncertainty for workers’ rights, any new regulations should promote an inclusive, fair and flexible working environment.
• The Mayor and London boroughs need to radically think about tackling low pay by raising minimum wage standards and ensuring better enforcement.
• The Mayor should lobby the Government for a minimum wage that truly reflects the cost of living and working in the capital.

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