What’s the problem with zero-hour contracts?

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is set to unveil her workers’ rights bill this week – and ‘exploitative’ zero-hour contracts are in the firing line. But has Labour actually stopped to ask workers what they think? They might be surprised by what they hear: a survey of over 1,000 young people has found that an overwhelming majority (75 per cent) of those in precarious work were satisfied with their working conditions while only 24 per cent were not.

It sounds counter-intuitive; happy with no job security, low status work, shifts cancelled at short notice? Satisfied with lower wages and significantly higher turnover rates? And yet young people do seem keen on these roles: more than 558,000 young people in the country are on zero-hour contracts.

The reality is that ‘micro jobs’ – whether that means working as a waitress, warehouse operative, or a driver – attract young people because they can be useful stepping stone to later careers.