Decent work in the UK: Context, conceptualization, and assessment

Abstract

Access to decent work is an important goal for policymakers and for individuals navigating theirworking lives. Decent work is a career goal for individuals and a priority for many employers andpolicy makers seeking to promote social justice. Decent work forms part of the United Nationssustainable development goals and the International Labor Organisation's (ILO) Decent WorkAgenda. Thefindings of the Taylor Review (2017) have helped to prioritize decent work as apolicy aim for the current UK government.Although macro-level indicators have been well developed to monitor access to decent work,there have been few studies which attempt to understand decent work at the individual level. Asa result, our studies explore the measurement and definition of decent work in the UK. Study 1investigates whether the Decent Work Scale (DWS) is a valid measure for use in the UK and Study2 uses a qualitative approach to further understand what decent work means to working peoplein the UK. Study results may have implications for the assessment and conceptualization of de-cent work among this specific population.