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What is the common denominator between bankers and home workers in the field of care? Both are more likely than your ordinary employee in obtaining fluctuating salary packages revolving around the year.

The newly available UK Data Group, which comes from the records of customs and customs salaries available on more than 250,000 people of working age between 2014 and 2019, raised the cover on a hidden side so far from the world of work: stability-or otherwise-from people from one month to another.

Unemployed transformations are a well -known problem for people with zero contracts, but this group only It represents 3.3 percent Who at work. analysis Among the data of the new salary statements conducted by the DREAL Collection Foundation, shows that 14 percent of workers working constantly witnessed four months or more per year in which their profits from their monthly average by 25 percent or more. In other words, the volatile wages are amazingly prevalent in the British economy.

This phenomenon is the most common in the bottom and the highest wage ladder, as it represents 30 percent of people at the bottom ten and 18 percent of the top.

This is a useful reminder of not mixing “instability” with “insecurity”, and do not necessarily be a problem. We can safely assume that investment bankers can deal with climbing and landing that come from rewards, etc., for example.

However, it is worrying that the volatile wages are more prevalent among the least -paid workers, who are the least likely to breed the savings to rid the shocks.

Nest Insight, the search arm of the UK state pension fund, follows 51 low and moderate income families in England and Scotland, which on average has witnessed a little more than 500 pounds in fluctuations every month. the I found research The people in this situation were vigilant and jacket. They have developed all kinds of confrontation mechanisms, from informal circles for friends and family who will provide short -term loans to each other, to transfer money between multiple accounts to ringfnce and payment of bills.

But Sope Otulana, head of Nest Insight Research, told an event hosted by the decision -making organization, in which I also spoke, that the great effort and tension was wearing people. One of the spouses, both of whom had a volatile income, did 170 transactions every month only between them, in an attempt to keep all spinning paintings.

There are two ways to deal with a problem like this: address the root cause, or help people deal with effects. Previously, the government pays legislation To make employers give low -wage workers the right to a contract that reflects their normal hours, and compensate them for canceling the transformations at the last minute.

The advantage is that this will not only address zero hours contracts, but also short hours, which only guarantee minimal. The disadvantage is that it will be very complicated, and the employers do not like it. Give Some sympathy For companies, which are also struck with higher taxes. But the new data emphasizes the need to balance some of the risk of fluctuations in customer requests from low -wage workers ‘shoulders to employers’ books.

As for helping people overcome volatile wages, is it not great if this is something that the government safety network can do? In fact, this was the primary intention of comprehensive credit, which replaced six advantages and tax credits with one payment for the family. It is pushed monthly in arrears and aims to respond quickly to income changes, profits and conditions. Before it was put forward, I remember talking to one of the farmers who were hoping that he could recruit more British workers because the University of California will isolate them from ascending and landing from being paid by the piece to pick up fruit.

But if there is anything, it may have an opposite effect: people of unstable wages often find it UC exacerbates the problem. This is partly due to the design defects that suit everyone, such as the income assessment by the month, when many low -wage workers per week are paid, which means that they have four salaries in some months and five in others.

The good news is that design defects can be modified. Unlike many politics ideas, which often come with huge price signs, some technical changes here, such as converting non -monthly profits to a monthly, can make a positive difference in people’s lives.

The volatile wage is not always a problem, but in the places that are, the answers are at hand.

Sarah.oconnor@ft.com