Graffiti Art

I wanted to share an interesting document produced by the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC). It is a timeline looking at forthcoming employment legislation for the next four years, calculating the cost to employers. Given the squeeze on public sector jobs, it’s more important than ever that the private sector creates jobs. However, the BCC argues that the tremendous costs involved in complying with red tape are holding back growth and job creation in the private sector.

The Government has said that it wants to reduce the burden posed to business by employment legislation. It has committed to reforming the Employment Tribunal system, a necessary step which we support. But the reality is that there is a raft of UK and EU legislation coming down the pipeline which will add further costs and complexity to the already hefty burdens posed on management.

In 2012, the Parental Leave Directive, Pensions Reform; National Minimum Wage Increase; in 2013 Gender Pay Reporting under the Equality Act; in 2015 Shared Parental Leave – to name but a few. And the cost? According to the British Chamber’s calculations, the cumulative cost to business of this legislation between 2011 and 2015 is £22.17 billion.