APSCo gives evidence at Independent Review of Employment Practices

The Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) gave evidence this week at the Independent Review of Employment Practices in the Modern Economy.

ASPCo was the only recruitment trade body chosen to speak at the first evidence session led by Matthew Taylor, and set up by the Prime Minister.

The review’s purpose is to look at how employment practices need to change in order to keep pace with modern business models. The review, as well as hearing from Tania Bowers, General Counsel at APSCo, heard evidence from a number of other stakeholders including Unison, the GMB, BECTU and the IOD.

Among the Issues raised at the review by Bowers were the media’s attention on the gig economy in relation to the lower paid, lower-skilled employment market regarding a lack of security and employment rights – whereas APSCo members recruit for professional sectors such as IT, banking, finance, engineering and life sciences where the situation is very different.

The issue of HMRC seeking to tax personal service company (PSC) contractors as employees, citing the off-payroll rules in the public sector, was also highlighted. There is no allowance by HMRC for the lack of dismissal rights, continuity of assignments, workplace entitlements or employment protections. Therefore, the determination of employment status is being driven by tax law, which APSCo has described as “inappropriate”.

Commenting on her appearance at the review, Tania Bowers said: “We want to promote a more positive narrative around responsible recruitment practices and the established routes to market which they offer. We strongly feel that the benefits that PSC workers bring to the economy makes it critical to both differentiate them within the gig economy and also to broaden the conversation from a solely taxation shortfall perspective.”