The number of zero hours contracts increased in 2017 to 1.8 million compared to 1.7 million in 2016, according to data from the Office of National Statistics. 

ONS results from the November 2017 survey of businesses showed that there were 1.8 million contracts that did not guarantee a minimum number of hours where work had actually been carried out under those contracts, also known as zero-hours contracts. This number represented 6% of all employment contracts. The equivalent figures for November 2016 were 1.7 million and 6%.

ONS states that people on zero-hours contracts are more likely to be young, part-time, women or in full-time education when compared with other people in employment. 

Meanwhile, during the period October to December 2017, the number of people employed on zero hours contracts in their main job was 901,000, representing 2.8% of all people in employment. This latest estimate is 4,000 lower than that for October to December 2016 (905,000 or 2.8% of people in employment).

For the period from October to December 2017, women made up a bigger share of those reporting working on “zero-hours contracts” (54.7%), compared with their share in employment not on “zero-hours contracts” (46.8%).

Meanwhile, people who report being on a zero-hours contract are more likely to be at the younger end of the age range; 36.0% of people on zero-hours contracts are aged 16 to 24 years, compared with 11.4% for all people in employment not on a zero-hours contract.

Further data showed that 18.7% of people on zero-hours contracts are in full-time education, compared with 2.3% of other people in employment.

Sophie Wingfield, Head of Policy, Recruitment and Employment Confederation commented, “Many people on “zero-hours contracts” are in full-time education, the advantage of having that flexibility allows students to fit in hours around their studies. Flexible contracts also offer employers the ability to respond quickly to the fluctuating demands of the economy.”

Earlier this year government has responded to last year’s Taylor Review on modern employment practices with a new plan called the ‘Good Work Plan’ that promised millions of flexible workers, including zero hours contracts workers, new rights.