UK businesses missing signs of modern slavery, warns IOSH

The findings, published in IOSH’s white paper Hidden in plain sight: confronting modern slavery in today’s economy, reveal significant gaps in organisational preparedness that could leave workers vulnerable to exploitation. IOSH warns that modern slavery remains embedded in workplaces and supply chains.

The Institution commissioned YouGov to survey 1,011 senior decision-makers and found that:

• 70 per cent of organisations have no formal assessment or mapping process for modern slavery risks.
• 62 per cent have no formal commitment to addressing modern slavery and no plans to develop one.
• 62 per cent provide no formal training to help staff identify and respond to modern slavery risks.
• 44 per cent have no dedicated mechanism for workers to raise concerns about modern slavery.

Despite seven in 10 organisations having no formal process for assessing modern slavery risks, more than half (56 per cent) said they were confident in their organisation's ability to identify and manage modern slavery risks in their supply chains.

IOSH says the findings suggest many organisations may be overestimating their ability to detect and respond to exploitation, creating a concerning gap between confidence and capability, potentially leaving vulnerable workers at risk of exploitation.

Ruth Wilkinson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at IOSH, said: “From our research, it is clear that too many organisations still lack the basic systems needed to identify and prevent exploitation."

“Particularly concerning is that many organisations remain confident in their ability to manage modern slavery risks despite significant gaps in their processes and controls. If organisations aren’t actively assessing modern slavery risks, they shouldn’t assume they’ll identify them.”

IOSH's white paper argues that modern slavery should be viewed not only as a human rights issue, but also as an occupational safety and health issue. It highlights how factors such as unsafe working conditions, excessive hours, poor oversight and weak worker voice can create an environment in which exploitation can develop and remain undetected.

IOSH warns that modern slavery is not confined to overseas supply chains. Labour exploitation continues to be identified in sectors, including construction, logistics, hospitality, agriculture and care within the UK itself.

Globally, an estimated 50 million people are living in modern slavery, including 27 million adults and children trapped in forced labour. In the UK, official figures show there were 23,411 potential victims of modern slavery identified in 2025, the highest number since records began.

In response, IOSH is calling for stronger action from government and business to embed modern slavery prevention into work design, organisational governance, risk management and occupational safety and health systems. Key recommendations include:

• Introducing mandatory human rights due diligence requirements for large businesses.
• Strengthening labour market enforcement and fully resourcing the Fair Work Agency.
• Extending reporting requirements to more organisations.
  Improving protections for migrant workers and regulating labour providers more effectively.
• Requiring businesses to undertake supply chain mapping, provide worker reporting channels and deliver mandatory awareness training.

Ruth added: “Modern slavery thrives where oversight is weak and workers do not have a voice. Preventing exploitation requires more than policies and statements – it requires organisations to build modern slavery due diligence and risk management into organisational governance processes and the way work is designed, managed and governed.

“Businesses have a crucial role to play. By taking a prevention-first approach, strengthening due diligence and actively engaging workers, they can help ensure that work is safe, healthy and free from exploitation.”