Zero-hours contracts reach record high

Zero-hours contracts reach record high

Employment Contract

Peninsula Team,

9th Mar 2026(Last updated Mar 9th 2026)

Peninsula Team,

9th Mar 2026(Last updated Mar 9th 2026)

Analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, carried out by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, has shown that there are a record number of people (1.23 million) on zero-hours contracts.

Noting that new legislation to ban “exploitative” zero-hours contracts is slated for 2027, the leading think tank has urged the Government to deliver plans in full and as soon as possible to give certainty to workers and employers.

The Work Foundation analysis shows that 181,000 more people are on zero-hours contracts than when the Government was elected in July 2024.

It highlights that this growth has particularly affected young people aged 16–24 and those not in full-time education. One in eight young workers in the UK are on these contracts in 2025 (12.5%) and they are five times more likely to be on zero-hours contracts than other age groups (12.5% versus 2.44% of those aged 25+).

Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, Ben Harrison, said: “This new data indicates that some employers continue to rely on highly precarious forms of employment such as zero-hour contracts, despite the Government’s commitment to kerb their use.”

Under current plans, the reforms will ensure employers offer guaranteed hours to workers on zero-hours contracts after a “reference period” — previously suggested to be 12 weeks.

This will be subject to a forthcoming Government consultation which will also consider other key rights in this area, including a right to guaranteed hours, advance notice of shifts and financial compensation for late shift cancellations.

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Zero-hours contracts reach record high

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