Union concerned by extent of 'precarious' work

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions is urging the government to act urgently to address the problem of "precarious" work.

It follows the release of a new Congress study that shows "insecure working arrangements" are now "pervasive" across the economy.

Strong legislation needed to tackle precarious work - new Congress report available here https://t.co/rBnSFgXe88

— Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) (@irishcongress) December 4, 2017

Report author and economist with the Nevin Economic Research Institute Lisa Wilson said that the problem has risen significantly since 2008.

"What the report fins is that whenever you look at the types of employment people are working in now, is that 7% of the workforce in the Republic of Ireland now is working in temporary employment, and 6% in Northern Ireland," she said.

"And while it's often propagated that workers themselves are choosing these more insecure forms of employment because they like the flexibility or whatever, evidence shows that increasingly this is not the case."