Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the latest release of data entitled EMP17: People in employment on zero hours contracts, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the proportions of (a) 16-24 year olds and (b) 25-34 year olds in work who are on Zero Hour Contracts.

Zero-hours contracts remain an important part of the UK’s flexible labour market, for both employers where there is not a constant demand for staff and for individuals who may need to balance work around other commitments such as childcare and study.

Individuals on zero hours contracts represent a very small proportion of the workforce – just over 3%. For this small group, a zero-hour contract may be the type of contract which works best for them, providing flexibility to balance work and study with 22% of people on zero-hour contracts are in full-time education compared with 3% of other people in employment.

The Government is supporting a Private Member’s Bill which will introduce a new right for workers – especially those on zero hours contracts - to request a more predictable working pattern. The new right will allow a qualifying worker to make an application to change their existing working pattern if it lacks predictability in terms of the hours they are required to work, or if it is a fixed term contract of less than 12 months.