Study by Lancaster University think tank reveals zero-hour contracts are at a record high

A Lancaster University study revealed the number of people employed on zero-hour contracts has risen by 91,000 in a year, reaching a record total of 1.23 million.

The Work Foundation at Lancaster University conducted analysis on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

This study highlights the urgent need for the reforms to the Employment Rights Act expected in 2027, on key rights such as, a right to guaranteed hours, advance notice of shifts, and financial compensation for late shift cancellations.

Zero hour contracts used to be championed for allowing flexibility to those in education or those requiring childcare, however, they have now reached a record high of 943,000 (77 per cent) zero-hour contract workers not being in full time education, suggesting that the previous benefits of the contract have become redundant.

32.8 per cent of those employed on zero-hour contracts depend on them as their full time employment and salary, many expressing a desire for more hours and work.

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Groups such as women and young people are disproportionally disadvantaged by these ‘exploitative’ zero-hour contracts:

• The analysis found that in 2025, one in eight workers aged 16-24 are on zero-hour contracts and are 5.1 times more likely to be employed under zero-hour contracts than those over 25 (12.5 per cent vs 2.44 per cent).
• Women cover 54 per cent of zero-hour contracts, whereas men only take up 48 per cent of these contracts, making women 1.2 times more likely to be employed under a zero-hour contract.

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, 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. Such arrangements underpin the kind of ‘one-sided flexibility’ that leaves over a million workers unsure how many hours they will work or how much money they will earn next week.”

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