Fair work policy and practice in Scotland: progress, pressures, priorities and potential
Patricia FindlayPurpose
This article deploys public policy framing to identify how policymakers can support fair work and assesses the impact of policy interventions to improve fair work practice in Scotland since 2015.
Design/methodology/approach
The article draws on a systematic review of all publications of Scotland’s Fair Work Convention and the Scottish Government that relate to fair work, wider commentary on fair work policy and practice, and insights from the author as a participant observer.
Findings
Findings highlight that significant progress has been made in agenda-setting and embedding fair work in government, governance and policy. Outcomes for workers in Scotland over time are mixed though positive overall. While progress has been made on Scotland’s domestic fair work performance, in comparative terms Scotland continues to lag selected countries on indicators of fair work and has not met its aspiration to be a leading fair work nation by 2025.
Research limitations/implications
There are data and attribution challenges in evaluating the outcomes for workers of fair work policy. Many elements of fair work lack nationally robust datasets. In addition, trends in fair work data cannot be causally attributed solely to the impact of fair work policy but are likely to reflect multiple influences, including policy impact.
Social implications
Fair work matters not just to workers but also to families, communities, businesses, the economy and wider civil society. Understanding how policy can underpin and promote fair work is therefore of significant interest and import.
Originality/value
This article uses public policy framing as a novel approach to considering job quality interventions and delivers the first holistic assessment of fair work policy and its outcomes in Scotland.