Commenting on today’s government White Paper to Make Work Pay, Nikita Malik, Head of Work and Opportunity at the Centre for Social Justice, said:
“In its pursuit of so-called ‘good work’ it would be a mistake for the Government to chuck out zero-hour contracts. Today’s employment White Paper contains significant reforms to zero-hour and short-hour contracts, but serious consideration needs to be given to the impact this would have on young people.
“The latest research from the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) finds that three-quarters (74 per cent) of young people on these types of contracts are happy with their working conditions, and nearly half (46 per cent) are opposed to banning them. Instead, their main demand was for more work and therefore more income. On average 35 per cent wanted 3-5 more hours of work per week, and 29 per cent wanted 10 or more hours per week.
More broadly, almost two-thirds of young people wanted ‘micro jobs’ to act as a stepping stone to further their career – mentioning longer, full-time employment and career paths featuring progression and training.
“The CSJ study finds that over half a million 16-34-year-olds are on zero-hours contracts, part of more than 11 million young people in ‘precarious’ employment characterised by arrangements such as flexible hours working, annualised hours contracts, and other types of working arrangement. Young people on these types of precarious contracts comprise almost 70 per cent of the total age group of 16-34 year olds nationally.
“Banning any type of contract will not prevent bad employers from finding other ways to exploit young people. New laws must work for everyone and banning zero-hour contracts neglects the fact that precarious work serves a purpose for many young people. For many, especially those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, it can provide the first critical rungs on the employment ladder.”
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