that of the employer. - Homeworkers Worldwide

Chapter 2 MethodologyThe majority of this report and its findings rest on primary research interviewsconducted with homeworkers between March and June 2007. Additionalinformation was drawn from secondary sources such as existingreports on homeworking and Labour Force Survey (LFS) data. The difficultiesin researching homework are widely recognised, and the meritsof different approaches hotly debated. Research reports from NGHNGH has conducted extensive research into homeworking in the UK inthe past. Research reports include Made at Home in Bradford (2004)which studied the enforcement and effectiveness of the nationalminimum wage, Homeworking in Britain: Flexible Working or ExploitedLabour? (Lucy Brill - 2004) which looked at homeworkers’ workingconditions, Out of Sight Out of Mind (Emily Gilbert - 2002) which focusedon health and safety issues and Organising Homeworkers in the UK(2002) which examined trade union policies and the collective organisationalneeds of homeworkers. ‘Getting What’s Rightfully Theirs?’ (LynEllison, 2002), commissioned by the Low Pay Commission, monitoredthe introduction and impact of the Minimum Wage on homeworkers.A major national survey was conducted in the early 1990s andresulted in 1994’s Home Truths: Key Results from a National Survey ofHomeworkers by Ursula Huws. Whilst these studies continue to provideextremely valuable information and evidence, a constantly changingpicture (produced by changes in people’s working habits, trends in theeconomy and alterations to the legal framework) means new research isalways required to provide up to date information on homeworking today.The Labour Force SurveyAccording to the Labour Force Survey, in spring 2005 there were around3.1 million ‘homeworkers’ in the UK, people who worked mainly in theirown home, or in different places using home as a base. The LFS foundthis had risen from 2.3 million in spring 1997 . The LFS uses a differentdefinition of homework to NGH, as they include those who have anotherplace of work, such as an office, in addition to their home base.“Manyhomeworkersare reluctantto identifythemselves,and accurateinformation abouttheir workinglives can onlybe gatheredby building uprelationships oftrust between theresearcher andthe homeworker.”Although the LFS is the principal source of statistics on employment inthe UK, and is particularly useful for identifying trends and changes overtime, there are problems with relying on this source for information onhomeworking.Many homeworkers are reluctant to identify themselves, and accurateinformation about their working lives can only be gathered by buildingup relationships of trust between the researcher and the homeworker.There are a number of reasons why homeworkers may be unwilling ‘Researching a Problematic Concept: Homeworkers in Britain’, Felstead and Jewson,Work Employment and Society, Vol 11, No 2, (June 1997) Homebased working using communication technologies’, Yolanda Ruiz and AnnetteWalling, Office for National Statistics, Labour Market Trends, October (2005)