Young people employed on zero-hours contracts are more likely to have worse mental and physical health than peers with more stable positions, a study has found.

The study, conducted by the UCL Institute of Education, found 25-year-olds employed on contracts that do not guarantee a minimum number of work hours were 41% less likely to report having good physical health compared with those with secure contracts.

Young people on zero-hours contracts were also one-and-a-half times more likely to report having a mental health problem compared with someone on a more secure employment contract.



The research, part of wider work looking at young people’s experiences of the labour market, has prompted concern among unions and MPs, who are calling for the government to crack down on exploitative employment arrangements.

The Unite union’s assistant general secretary, Steve Turner, said that only by banning zero-hours contracts could the “scourge of insecure work” be tackled. He said: “This shocking research points to zero-hours contracts not just harming people’s wallets, but harming people’s physical and mental health too. Our young people deserve a better future than low-paid, insecure work and the stress of not knowing from one week to the next whether they will be able pay the bills and eat.”

The Labour MP for Great Grimsby, Melanie Onn, said: “Not knowing how many days you’ll be working, or even if you will be working, from day to day, puts huge strain on people trying to balance their household budget.”



The study’s lead author, Dr Morag Henderson, said: “Millennials have faced a number of challenges as they entered the world of work. They joined the labour market at the height of the most recent financial crisis and faced higher than ever university fees and student loan debt.”

She said one likely cause for the negative impact of zero-hours contracts on mental health was financial stress or anxiety “associated with having a low-status job”. She added the worry of not having regular work could trigger physical symptoms such as chest pain.

Frances O’Grady said: ‘If you don’t know how much work you will have from one day to the next, this is bound to impact on your health and mental wellbeing.’ Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

There were 1.7m zero-hours contracts in the UK in November 2016, making up 6% of all employment contracts. The Resolution Foundation thinktank said the pace of growth for these contracts had slowed in the second half of 2016, to 0.8% from 7.7% in the same period a year earlier.

People on zero-hours contracts do not have set working hours a week, although there can be pressure for them to come in when needed. Companies including Sports Direct and McDonald’s have been criticised for using such employment methods.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Unite have urged the government to follow New Zealand’s lead and ban zero-hour contracts.

The Institute of Education study followed 7,707 people living in England who were aged between 13 and 14 in 2004. When they reached 25 in 2015 they were asked about their working life and to rate their physical and mental health on a scale from excellent to poor.

Two-thirds of 25-year-olds researchers spoke to were employed full-time, 12% were employed part-time and 7% were unemployed. About a quarter worked shifts, and 5% had zero-hours contracts. The largest proportion (15%) were in professional roles such as teaching.

Concern about zero-hours contracts prompted Theresa May to hire Matthew Taylor, the former head of Tony Blair’s policy unit, to head a review of workers’ rights. The response is due in the summer.

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “We are committed to building an economy that works for everyone and making sure employment rules and rights keep up to date to reflect new ways of working, that’s why we asked Matthew Taylor in October to conduct an independent review into modern working practices. As part of his review, Matthew has been looking at different ways of working and wellbeing, which we expect to be published shortly.”

Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, said: “If you don’t know how much work you will have from one day to the next, this is bound to impact on your health and mental wellbeing.”

“Employers must not be allowed to get away with treating workers like disposable labour.”