Zero Hours Contracts, Job Quality and Impacts on Workers

Prof Duncan McVicar (QUB)

Seven years on from the Great Recession, survey data suggest that the use of zero hours contracts (ZHCs) in the UK labour market continues to grow rapidly. In some sectors, such as care working, incidence may be over 50%. This seminar will begin by summarising what we know from existing studies on the prevalence of ZHCs across recent years and across industries and socio-demographic groups at the UK level. We will then consider what we can learn about the prevalence of ZHCs in Northern Ireland from existing survey data. Finally, we will consider the impact of ZHCs on worker outcomes such as wages and job satisfaction.