ACAS have issued a survey of the effects of AWR (Agency Worker Regulations) 9 months after they came into force.

The full summary is available at: http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3872

The research found that almost half of businesses surveyed had been affected by AWR with 57% reducing the number of agency workers they used and 1 in 12 stopping using Agency Workers altogether.

These stats have to beg the question does a piece of legislation designed to protect Agency Workers actually have the effect of harming them more than doing good?

Yes Agency Workers should earn comparable pay to full time workers but are users of agency workers so scared of falling foul that the legislation actually has a negative impact?

On the face of it it looks like a yes. But perhaps if instead of using agency workers end clients are taking on permanent staff instead i.e. making the agency worker an employee then perhaps no?

It only really has a negative effect if clients aren;t taking on contracts because they don;t want to employ agency workers.