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Fair work

Work is a fundamental building block of health and is an activity through which people use their time, skills, and effort to produce goods or services, earn income, and contribute to society. It can be paid or unpaid activity.

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Why is it important to health, well-being and reducing inequalities?

Work plays a powerful role in shaping our health, well-being, and life chances for current and future generations. Good work provides income, purpose, routine, and social connection — all of which are fundamental to physical and mental wellbeing. Secure and meaningful employment helps people afford essentials such as food, housing, heating, and transport, reducing stress and supporting healthier behaviours. It can also build confidence, skills, and a sense of contribution to society, which are important for mental well-being.

However, it is not any work that supports good health. Poor-quality jobs — for example those that are insecure, low paid, unsafe, overly stressful, or lack worker voice — can damage health. They are associated with anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal problems, and long-term illness. For some people, such work can be more harmful than unemployment.

Fair work is therefore essential for improving population health, breaking the cycle of child poverty and reducing inequalities. Fair work includes secure contracts, fair pay that meets the cost of living, safe working conditions, reasonable control over hours, opportunities to develop skills, and respect and dignity at work. When these conditions are in place, workers are more likely to experience better health, greater job satisfaction, and improved work–life balance.

Work is also a key driver of creating a fairer and healthier society. People in disadvantaged communities, disabled people, younger workers, and some ethnic minority groups are more likely to be trapped in insecure or low-quality employment. Improving access to fair work helps narrow health gaps by addressing the social and economic conditions that cause poor health in the first place.

What is Public Health Wales doing to strengthen participation in fair work and reduce worklessness for the population in Wales?

We work with partners across Wales to reduce worklessness and increase participation in fair work by:

1. Providing data and evidence
  • Describing the relationships between work, worklessness and health outcomes and what works to increase participation in fair work
  • Identifying population groups at greatest risk of worklessness or poor quality work
  • Supporting the use of data to guide collective action across Wales
2. Advocating and advising for work and economies which support health, well-being and equity
  • Advising Welsh Government, the NHS, local authorities and partners on policies that support fair work and healthier working lives
  • Supporting delivery of Welsh and UK policy commitments, including Getting Britain Working
3. Supporting employers and workplaces
  • Delivering Healthy Working Wales, which helps employers support staff health, prevent sickness absence and reduce the risk of people leaving work due to ill-health
4. Collaboration and systems working
  • Working across sectors in Wales and the other UK nations to improve coordination between health, skills, employment and economic policy

What action should be taken to strengthen participation in fair work and reduce worklessness at a national, regional and local level to maximise population health and reduce inequalities?

The following national, regional and local level actions should be taken to increase participation in fair work, to maximise population health and reduce inequalities in Wales:

National level

At a national level, Wales can increase participation in fair work by strengthening the Fair Work Wales agenda across all government policy and funding. Evidence shows that linking public spending, procurement, and grants to fair work criteria (such as secure contracts, real living wage, increasing worker voice, and providing safe working conditions) improves job quality. National legislation and strategies aligned with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act can embed fair work as a core outcome across economic development, skills, and health policy.

Regional level

At a regional level, fair work can be promoted through economic development and skills partnerships that align employers, education providers, health bodies, and local government. Evidence supports place-based approaches that tailor skills provision, transport, childcare, and employment support to local labour markets. Regional investment decisions, for example through city and growth deals and local growth funds can prioritise sectors that offer secure, high-quality jobs and support employers to improve job design, progression, and workforce wellbeing.

Local level

At a local level, local authorities and other anchor institutions can directly influence fair work through their roles as employers, commissioners of services, and community leaders. Evidence shows that adopting fair work practices locally — such as paying the real living wage, offering secure contracts, and supporting flexible work — can set standards for local labour markets. Local employment and health services can support people back into work through targeted employability programmes that address health and well-being needs, caring responsibilities and other barriers to accessing fair and sustainable work.

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