The Government’s Employment Rights Bill is important and welcome, but it should change tack on unfair dismissal. Reform here is definitely needed. Currently, protection kicks in only when someone has been in the job for two years. Our view is that the Government retain a qualifying period, but reduce it from the current two years to either three months or six months. This strikes the right balance in the protection-flexibility trade-off, conforming both with international norms and with how employers themselves operate.