A new report compiled by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, commissioned by the TUC, has found that 1.24 million people are employed on zero-hours contracts in the UK, a record high.
For the report, the Work Foundation analysed ONS data. All workers who participated in the study were aged 25+ - 60% of zero-hour contract workers are in this age group. In-depth qualitative analysis was also carried out with nine zero-hours workers.
Key themes from the report include:
Work life chaos: the nature of zero-hours work, with the lack of guaranteed hours and shift patterns, made the lives of the workers chaotic and hard to manage. A large amount of time, it was found, was spent by the workers trying to obtain more shifts. Workers also regularly experienced last-minute shift cancellations, call-ins to work and changes to shift timings.
One-sided flexibility: employers were found to often fail to account for workers’ other commitments and working hour requirements. Many workers expressed concerns that turning down work would limit future opportunities.
Physical and mental toll of insecure work: increased anxiety and stress because of the unpredictability of the work was reported.
Parenthood penalty: parents were found to struggle with this style of working due to last-minute changes and cancellations leading to childcare plans changing at short notice and money being wasted.
Through the Employment Rights Act 2025, the Government seeks to end this one-sided flexibility with new compensation requirements for last-minute shift cancellations and changes, as well as by giving these workers the right to a guaranteed hours contract. The specifics of how these new rights will work, however, are yet to be finalised. They are expected to come into force in 2027.
