Employers Can’t Offer the Hours Parents Need

Working Families (WF) is concerned about the changes to Working Tax Credit (WTC) from April 2012 which mean that couples currently working 16 hours must increase those hours to 24 (with one parent working at least 16 hours) in order to continue to receive WTC.   WF carried out a survey of employers representing around a quarter of a million employees, to find out their likely responses when their employees ask for more hours of work. Among the findings were;

• 67% of employers who responded are unaware of the changes to WTC rules

• 17 per cent are confident of accommodating a request for eight more hours of work. A further 33 per cent said they may be able to offer some hours, but not eight, while 17 per cent said it was “unlikely” or “impossible” to accommodate a request.

• When asked about the impact on business if an employee left because they couldn’t get more hours of work, only 17 per cent said “business would suffer”. Fifty six per cent thought it would be a “minor inconvenience” and 17 per cent were confident that they could easily recruit a replacement.

• Only half of employers would create jobs of less than 16 hours a week if they thought there was demand for them from parents.

Read more on the Working Families website.