Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) young workers, (b) women and (c) workers not born in the UK that are subject to zero-hour contracts.

Zero hours contracts are an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, they are use-ful where there is not a constant demand for staff, allowing flexibility for both employers and individuals – like carers, people studying, or retirees. For this small group, a ze-ro hours contract may be the type of contract which works best for them.

To support lower paid workers we have extended the ban on exclusivity clauses, which restrict staff from working for multiple employers, to contracts where the guaranteed weekly income is equivalent to or below the Lower Earnings Limit of £123 a week. On 1 April 2023, the Government increased the National Living Wage (NLW) for workers aged 23 years and over by 9.7% to £10.42.