Two in five people with a flexible employment contract find a permanent job within five years, according to research from the University of Amsterdam.

The research looked at employees who were given a flexible contract in 2008 and found that nearly half of them moved on within a year, while one in three progressed to a permanent job. After five years, 39% had found permanent employment and 46% were no longer working at all.

Meanwhile, just over half the people with college or university degrees got a permanent contract within five years, compared with 28% of people with low skills.

Employees without a permanent contract and self-employed workers as well as temporary workers, payrollers and staff with a contract without fixed working hours, such as a zero-hour contract or call contract are included as working under flexible contracts.