There are between half a million
and a million agency workers in the UK.
For many like Joanna,
it's a life-style choice.
As a temp I'm not completely tied down
by any real responsibility,
so it may allow me to choose
either temp work or even choose to be,
a permanent personnel as well
or within the same company.
The UK has one of the most
flexible labor markets in the world,
mainly thanks to agency workers,
but right now the law doesn't give them
very much protections and that's
why Europe has introduced to
new proposals that would change all that.
The question is,
what is the price that those individuals
have to pay for those opportunities?
Lack of employment rights,
job insecurity often economic insecurity.
People find it very difficult to plan
for the future to have access to mortgages
if they're an agency worker.
We believe that they deserve
a bit more protection,
a better framework of rights.
The EU directive proposes to
put agency workers in temporary work
on a par with permanent employees
on issues such as pay,
working time and holidays,
but it could leave companies
picking up hefty bills.
Our survey also demonstrates that
employers are concerned because
staffing costs are going to go up.
They can't afford to pay more workers.
They are likely to reduce
the size of their workforce.
We could see unemployment,
we're likely to see greater
economic-uncertainty as a result of
jobs lost through the directive.
If this directive is approved,
it'll still take at least a year
before it's law here in the UK,
but if it does go ahead,
one worry is that more employers
will be put off using agency staff,
leaving British business with
a far less flexible workforce.
Marcia Hughes, BBC News.