This report by the Work Foundation investigates how quality of work contributes to long-term employment outcomes, revealing that more than four in ten insecure workers (44%) have fallen into ‘long-term insecurity’ over a four-year period, presenting a direct challenge to the previous government’s approach that assumed any job will help them progress into secure and sustained employment. The research findings indicate that individuals’ difficulties in progressing from insecure to secure employment have persisted, suggesting that the ‘insecure work trap’ is a deeply ingrained issue within the labour market – and not merely a consequence of the pandemic’s unique challenges.