Having failed to include the much-anticipated Employment Bill in the Queen’s speech on 10 May, on 12 May the Government published terms of reference for a Future of Work Review to “look afresh at how we should attempt to shape our future labour market”.

The aim of the Review, led by Matt Warman MP, is stated to be to:

• Build on existing government commitments (including those made in response to the Taylor Review, many of which have been in contemplation since 2018) to assess the key questions to address on the future of work;
• Provide a more detailed assessment of selected issues; and
• Based on this assessment, make recommendations to guide long-term, strategic policy on the labour market.

The Review will be conducted in two parts during the spring/summer of 2022, with the first phase producing a high-level assessment of the key strategic issues. The second phase will provide a more detailed assessment of selected areas of focus. It is expected that the Review will consider issues such as the role of automation, and how we can build on good flexibility in the labour market and the gig economy, whilst protecting against exploitative practices and encouraging productivity.