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Commenting on the latest employment figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today (Tuesday), which show around 740,000 fewer paid employees in work than before the pandemic, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:   

“The alarm bells couldn’t be ringing any louder. Ministers must act now to protect and create jobs. 

“That means extending the job retention scheme for businesses with a viable future who can’t operate because of virus restrictions. It means investing in the jobs we need for the future in green industries, social care and across the public sector. And it means ensuring a decent safety net is in place to help those who lose their jobs get back on their feet. 

“The more people in work the faster our economy will recover from this crisis.” 

Zero-hours contracts 

And commenting on ONS figures also published today that show the number of people on zero-hours contracts has risen to over a million, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: 

“It’s shocking that there’s now a million people on zero-hours contracts. Many of these are the key workers who worked through the pandemic but still face the uncertainty of not knowing when their next shift will be. 

“Government must ban zero-hours contracts now.” 

Editors Note

• The unemployment and zero-hours contracts statistics are at: www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment?utm_source=POLITICO.EU&utm_campaign=20c948dc61-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_08_11_06_04&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_10959edeb5-20c948dc61-190109109
• The employment data is from the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system where pay is reported through the Real Time Information (RTI) system.
• The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.