London the worst place in the UK to find a flexible job, study says
The chances of finding a flexible job in London are lower than for anywhere else in the UK, a new study has revealed.
According to the Timewise Flexible Jobs Index published by Timewise, people looking for flexible jobs will have a greater chance of that in Scotland, Northern Ireland and in the north east of England.
The options available to those looking for a flexible job are lower in the capital, in professional office roles and at higher salaries.
About 5.4m people already work in flexible roles, which can include reduced hours contract, shifts or the possibility of working from home.
However, the study, which was carried out among 629,000 people, mainly women, found many were not able to find a job which fits their caring responsibilities.
Furthermore, 52% of those polled said they were nervous when it came to asking for flexibility if that word was not mentioned in the advert, while 43% feared mentioning it could damage their chances of securing the job.
Timewise's study was based on 3.5m job-ads posted on 122 UK job boards and classified 'quality flexible jobs' as those with an annual salary of £20,000 or higher, excluding low paid zero hours, temping, self-employment, freelance and franchise vacancies.
"At salaries between £20k and £40k, the poor supply of jobs advertised with flexibility presents a huge challenge for candidates who can’t work full time."
"Businesses wanting to accelerate the female talent pipeline need to match flexible hiring (including flexible promotion) to the availability of flexible working at these mid-management levels," Timewise said.