Labour market enforcement in the UK: Reflections, lessons and the way forward

Speaker: Tim Harrison, (Head of Secretariat, Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, UK)
Introduction: Janine Berg (ILO RESEARCH)
Moderator: Fabiola Mieres (ILO RESEARCH)

Hosted by the ILO Research Department ‘Improving compliance with labour protection Research Project’, this ‘From Theory into Practice Webinar’ will address the practical challenges and successes in labour compliance and enforcement, in the context of the UK.

The UK Immigration Act 2016 introduced legislation to “improve the effectiveness of the enforcement of certain employment rights to prevent non-compliance and the exploitation of vulnerable workers, via an intelligence-led, targeted approach”.

One aspect of this was the appointment of a Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME) in 2017 to bring together a coherent assessment of the extent of labour market exploitation, identifying routes to tackle exploitation and harnessing the strength of the three existing enforcement bodies, responsible for enforcing the minimum wage, employment agency standards and regulation of ‘gangmasters’, as well as serious labour exploitation in the context of modern slavery. DLME therefore covers the entire spectrum of non-compliance, from accidental infringement to serious criminality.

This presentation traces the DLME journey: from initial drivers, its remit, approach and theoretical underpinnings, through to changes introduced in compliance and enforcement approaches and their impact. It considers current policy debates around the future direction for labour market enforcement in the UK.

From Theory to Practice Webinars provide a platform for experts to share insights on the practical challenges and successes on labour compliance and enforcement across different jurisdictions. These seminars serve as a bridge between theoretical knowledge and real-world application with the spirit to exchange ideas and learn from peers about this complex field of labour regulation.

About the Speaker:

Tim Harrison

Tim is an economist by profession who has for the past 30 years specialised in the economics of employment, migration and social affairs issues. Since April 2017 he has been deputy director at the Office of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (jointly sponsored by Home Office and the Department for Business), leading the secretariat supporting its Director, Margaret Beels OBE. Prior to this role Tim headed up the secretariat to the Migration Advisory Committee (Sept 2012-March 2017) and, before this, was senior economist in the Labour Markets Directorate at what is now the Department for Business and Trade (DBT)(Aug 2005 to Sept 2012). Before joining the Civil Service in 2005, Tim worked in private sector economics consultancy (1992-2005), mainly undertaking work on employment, regional policy and education and training issues for the European Commission, Eurostat and Cedefop. Tim has undergraduate degrees in economics from the University of Sussex and the Université de Grenoble II, and a postgraduate economics qualification from the College of Europe, Bruges.