According to a report by the Resolution Foundation think tank (an independent think tank focused on improving living standards for those on low to middle incomes) - after research into illegal work practices - it was found that one in twenty workers does not get paid holidays and one in ten does not get a payslip.

The Resolution Foundation found that workers over the age of 65 are most likely to not have paid holidays, despite a legal entitlement to twenty eight days a year. Younger workers - those aged 25 and under - are most likely to be paid less than the minimum wage, which is illegal. It has been suggested that this is a trend which may have been caused by the growth of the gig economy.

In addition, the research showed that workers in small firms, i.e. employing fewer than twenty five personnel; workers on zero-hours and those on temporary contracts are most likely to not get payslips and paid leave.

Lindsay Judge - Senior Economic Analyst at the Resolution Foundation - welcomed the government's efforts to strengthen the resources of bodies such as HM Revenue & Customs.

She said:

"The UK has a multitude of rules to govern its labour market, from maximum hours to minimum pay, but these rules can only become a reality if they are properly enforced. Labour market violations remain far too common, with millions of workers missing out on basic entitlements to a payslip, holiday entitlement and the minimum wage. Our analysis suggests that, while violations take place across the labour market, the government should also prioritise investigations into sectors like hotels and restaurants, along with firms who make large use of atypical employment contracts, as that's where abuse is most prevalent."

Lindsay Judge went on to say that UK workers relied on the Employment Tribunal system to rectify any unfairness and to challenge illegal practices. However, the workers most in need of redress were, in fact, those least likely to employ the system - the younger workers were shown to make fewer Employment Tribunal applications than any other age group, whilst managerial staff - who are less likely to be subject to labour market abuse - are amongst those most likely to resort to tribunal claims.

Laura Pidcock - shadow Business Minister - stated that she recognised that many people worked in illegal conditions and said:

“Behind the statistics are many hours of stressful and exhausting work, people's home lives being made so much harder than they need to be, an unchecked class of bad bosses and legions of workers who feel like they have no choice but to accept illegal poor conditions."

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy stated:

"We are extending state enforcement to cover holiday pay for vulnerable workers, as part of the largest upgrade to workers' rights in a generation.”