This report, published by the Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPIW), explores ways of improving job quality. The study, written by Professor Anne Green, Dr Paul Sissons, and Dr Neil Lee, found that while job quality should be a critical issue for policymakers there is a lack of empirical evidence from approaches seeking to enhance job quality. Pay and job security are important elements of job quality, as are flexible employment practices that enable people to balance work and caring responsibilities. The authors found evidence that trade unions can play an important role in improving job quality outcomes.
Where there is evidence from sector-focused approaches to job quality these have sought to link changes in employment conditions with service improvements for employers; utilised procurement as an opportunity to shape job quality; or sought to encourage changes in business models as a precursor to improving job quality. However we don’t know enough about the tangible impacts which these have had.
The report concludes that there is a need to pilot and trial different approaches to improving job quality in different sectors and for different types of employment.