The number of young workers on zero-hours contracts has reached a new record high, according to a study from The Work Foundation thinktank.
The report analysed data from the Office for National Statistics to find that 136,000 more workers were given zero-hours contracts in April to June 2023 compared with the same period in the previous year. More than half (65%) of the new contracts were given to people aged 16 to 24.
One in 10 (13%) young workers in the UK were on zero-hours contracts in 2023.
The Work Foundation’s Insecure Work Index found that around three quarters (73.5%) of people aged 16 to 65 who are currently on zero-hours contracts in the UK are in severely insecure work, meaning that they face contractual and financial insecurity, and a lack of access to rights and protections.
