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Millions of UK workers face exploitation from employers, according to findings from the Commission on Vulnerable Employment.

The commission - set up by the TUC and involving employers and independent experts, as well as trade unionists - found that 2m workers in Britain are "trapped in a continual round of low-paid and insecure work" and suffer "intolerably poor working lives" which results in daily exploitation from firms.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC and chair of the commission, believes exploitation is becoming increasingly problematic and added: "While this commission expected to find poor treatment, its extent has stunned us all. Worst of all, much of it took place within a legal framework that fails to prevent exploitation."

The commission's report - named Hard Work, Hidden Lives - also refers to research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that shows the UK has less employment protection than any other advanced economy apart from the US.

Kevin Beeston, chairman of the Serco Group and one of the commissioners, believed that employers and companies turn a blind eye surrounding exploitation in the workplace.

He said: "During my time on the commission, meeting vulnerable workers and hearing the evidence first hand for myself, I have become increasingly surprised by my own, and society's, ignorance of these issues."

The report has made a number of recommendations, including a major awareness programme about employment rights and better funding of employment rights advice.