More than half (59%) of employer respondents view gender pay reporting as the most important employment legal services issue they will face over the next five years, according to research by law firm Lewis Silkin and Winmark.
Its The future of employment legal service report, which surveyed 68 senior HR and legal professionals, also found that 54% of respondents believe flexible working is the key employment law-related issue that their organisation is likely to encounter in the next five years.
The research also found that:
- A quarter (25%) of respondents see family leave as the key issue on the employment legal services landscape, and just 21% identify the national living wage as an issue.
- More than half (51%) of respondents cite workplace employee data protection as the most important employment legal services issue to face their organisation in the next five years.
- Less than half (43%) of respondents point to equal pay as the key employment legal services issue facing their organisation over the next five years, and less than a third (31%) believe retirement or age discrimination is the most important issue in this context.
James Davies (pictured), divisional managing partner and joint head of employment at Lewis Silkin, said: “The world of work is changing rapidly. Factors ranging from cost-cutting and technological integration to the rise of agile workspaces are fundamentally changing how people work, and how employers cater to employee needs.
“The challenges faced in this climate are many and varied, and this report demonstrates that employment law is at the top of the agenda for businesses which are looking to ensure frameworks are in place to maximise the productivity, effectiveness and security of their most valuable of assets.”