Helen told the Mail: ‘Once the draft Employment Rights Bill is published, business groups will likely ramp up pressure on the Government to reconsider its proposals.
‘The unintended consequence of enhancing workers’ rights at a time when businesses are already squeezed from many directions may be a recruitment paralysis and job vacancies being filled on a ‘needs/must’ basis.
She went on: ‘The prospect of measures such as day one protection against unfair dismissal and extending statutory sick pay rights could have a profound impact on how employers address future resourcing needs.
‘To mitigate against the risks and cost consequences of poor hiring decisions, businesses would naturally explore alternatives to taking on permanent new employees.
‘This could play out with heavier use of casual and fixed term contracts, agency staff, self-employed contractors, offering overtime or extra hours to the incumbent workforce, or offshoring and fast tracking the use of AI to replace certain jobs.’
You can read the full article, including Helen’s comments, on MailOnline here, and in today’s print edition of The Daily Mail.