Research into use of zero hour contracts

The CIPD has recently released initial findings from research conducted into the use of zero hour contracts in the UK.

The research suggests that recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, which indicate that approximately 250,000 people – less than 1% of those in employment - consider themselves to be on a zero hour contract, is likely to be an underestimate.

The CIPD found that up to a fifth (19%) of employers said they employed at least one person on a zero hours contract, and that employers in the voluntary sector (34%) and the public sector (24%) were more likely to use zero hours contracts than private sector employers (17%).

The research also found that:

• The average hours worked by zero hours’ contract workers is 19.5 per week.
• In all, 38% of zero hours contract workers describe themselves as employed full time, working typically 30 hours or more a week.
• Of the 62% who are working part time, about a third (38%) would like to work more hours.
• Across all zero hours contract workers (both part-time and full-time) 14% report that their employer often or very often fails to provide them with sufficient hours to have a basic standard of living. However 18% say this does not happen very often and 52% say this does not happen at all often
• By age group, those who are primarily employed on zero hour contracts are twice as likely to be young (18 to 24) or old (55 plus) than other age groups.