A Record 1.1 million UK workers are now on zero-hour contracts in main employment – and only 6% have access to rights and a predictable income
New analysis by the Work Foundation based at Lancaster University shows record number of young workers are on zero-hour contracts – with an additional 88,000 16-24 year olds on zero-hour contracts between 2022-2023
Young workers (aged 16–24) are now 5.9 times more likely to be on zero-hour contracts – and this doesn’t just affect students says the research
Alice Martin, Head of Research at the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, said: “Zero-hour contracts have previously been hailed the answer to flexible work, but our research shows too often it is only employers that have choices, workers do not.
“The data shows these contracts affect certain workers more than others, and it is young workers – particularly young women – who are bearing the brunt of policy-makers inaction.”
The new data paints a particularly worrying picture for young workers in the UK with an 88,000 additional young people on zero-hour contracts in 2023, compared to 2022 – an increase of 23% (386,000 in 2022 to 474,000 in 2023).
The Work Foundation’s labour market experts warn of the potential long-term effects this could have on the quality of job young workers may secure in future – and if they stay in the labour market altogether. With a near record 2.74 million workers currently off work sick in the UK, researchers say this is a particularly concerning trend – which should be tackled immediately.
The new data, which investigates how zero-hour contracts are used in the UK, suggests they disproportionately impact certain workers – people who already face structural barriers in the labour market:
Black workers are 2.7 times more likely than white workers to be on zero-hour contracts and workers from multiple/mixed backgrounds are 2.3 times more likely than white workers to be on zero-hour contracts
Women are 1.2 times more likely to be on zero-hour contracts than men and one in ten young workers in the UK are on these contracts in 2023 (13%).
Young workers (aged 16–24) are 5.9 times more likely to be on zero-hour contracts – but these are not just students. Young workers who are not students are still 3.5 times more likely than other age groups to be on zero-hour contracts.
“More than one million UK workers are on zero-hour contracts at the moment as their main job,” Alice Martin continues. “While they may provide ad-hoc flexibility for a small minority of professionals who actively choose this way of working, our analysis suggests that for the vast majority, these contracts represent precarity.
“After a decade of indecision over zero-hour contracts, the UK has fallen behind and now our younger generation are paying the price. Other nations have already either banned zero-hour contracts or heavily regulated their use, so we need to catch up and find a better balance between workplace security and flexibility.
“For young people starting work for the first time, having a poor-quality job that provides irregular hours and pay can be a highly stressful first experience of working life. If they remain stuck in this kind of insecure work for long, it can really limit their chances to get better jobs in the future.
“Putting more power in the hands of workers would combat the unfair use of zero-hour contracts, and is a healthy step towards a secure and flexible jobs market.”
