A record 1.24 million people are now employed on zero-hours contracts, as new research reveals how unpredictable shifts, last-minute cancellations and fluctuating pay can create “work-life chaos” for workers.

The new report from the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, commissioned by the TUC, draws on in-depth digital diaries kept by zero-hours workers across Britain. It provides a detailed picture of how insecure and unpredictable working hours affect workers’ finances, family lives and wellbeing.

Participants were carefully selected to reflect the sectoral, regional, age and gender profile of zero-hours workers nationally.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 will introduce new rights to guaranteed hours, reasonable notice of shifts and payment when shifts are cancelled or curtailed at short notice. However, Ministers still face critical decisions about how these protections will work when they come into force in 2027.

Analysis by the Work Foundation of ONS data indicates that a record number of workers depend on their zero-hour contract for full-time work (32.8%) and are not in full-time education (77%). All of workers who participated in this study were aged 25+, the age cohort which comprises more than 60% of zero-hour contract workers.

Researchers conducted in depth qualitative analysis with nine workers from up and down Britain who rely on zero-hour contracts as their main source of income. The group of participants comprised of five workers in hospitality, two workers in health and social care, one worker in arts and entertainment and one worker in education.

Key themes from the report revealed:

• Work life chaos: Zero-hour contracts are often touted as a flexible form of employment that enable people to fit work around their other responsibilities. In practice, the lack of guaranteed hours and shift patterns made the lives of the workers chaotic and hard to manage. Given the lack of guaranteed hours or shifts, workers dedicated a substantial amount of time to finding shifts and organising their working week. Workers also regularly experienced last minute shift cancellations, call-ins to work and changes to the timings of their shifts.
• One-sided flexibility: The diaries revealed that the ‘flexibility’ of zero-hour contracts disproportionately benefitted their employers. Employers often took no notice of workers’ prior commitments, such as childcare, when allocating shifts. They also expected their zero-hour contract staff to be available for work at any time and to organise their lives around shifts that could be cancelled at a moment’s notice. Meanwhile the workers had limited control over their own shift patterns. Many also expressed concerns that if they turned down work they would be passed over for future shifts.
• Physical and mental toll of insecure work: Many involved in the study reported anxiety or stress associated with the insecurity of their work and the need to closely manage their shifts. Workers also regularly discussed how the unpredictability of their shift patterns left them feeling burnt out and unable to get enough sleep or eat healthily. Several also described going into work whilst ill or being unable to take time off to care for dependents, with one participant reporting they had previously been hospitalised after putting off medical appointments due to work pressures.
• Parenthood penalty: Parents reported paying for childcare only to have their shift moved or cancelled at the last minute, leaving them to foot an unnecessary childcare bill. Some noted that the cost of childcare outstripped wages, so paying for a babysitter meant effectively working for free. Nurseries are often unable to accommodate last minute changes to the schedules of parents on zero-hour contracts, leaving many reliant on family members.

The report also shows that as well as harming some workers – zero-hour contracts allow managers to engage in unprofessional practices and act poorly towards their staff.

The TUC and Work Foundation says this evidence points to insecure work holding back the economy and productivity.

Ben Harrison, Director of the Work Foundation at Lancaster University said: “The experiences of zero-hour contract workers underline how one sided the flexibility that they offer can be. By their very nature, they bake uncertainty and precarity into the working lives of those who rely on them, which has significant consequences for their financial and mental wellbeing.

"In particular, this new evidence shows how zero-hour contracts leave workers highly vulnerable to late changes and cancellations of their shifts. This can make it extremely difficult to plan for day to day expenses like childcare, and for long-term financial commitments like renting or buying a home.

“Government must now deliver on its commitment to end exploitative zero-hour contracts by giving workers at least 28 days’ notice of shifts, ensuring full pay for late cancellations, and putting strong enforcement behind the new reforms.”

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Zero hours contracts are a dream for bad bosses and a nightmare for workers.

“This research shows just how difficult it is to get by, and to plan your life, on these exploitative contracts.

“The contracts also make it harder to raise issues with your boss due to power imbalances.

“And not just that – they encourage poor management practices which are bad for workers and bad for the wider economy.

“That’s why the new prime minister must take on the broken status quo and put an end to exploitative zero hours contracts by delivering these new rights to guaranteed hours at pace and in full.”

Ahead of the roll-out of zero-hour contract reforms in 2027, this report recommends:

1. The Government must define ‘reasonable’ notice of shifts as 28 days in advance and set out a requirement that employers must provide full payment for cancelling or curtailing shifts less than a week in advance.
2. The Employment Rights Act contains a new right to a contract reflecting guaranteed hours for workers on zero hour and low hour contracts. The Government must define what is meant by 'low hours' and ensure it is not set too low which would enable employers to sidestep the new right.
3. Enforcement through the Fair Work Agency must be adequately resourced and kept under ongoing review to ensure workers are empowered to take up their right to guaranteed hours contracts.

Read the full briefing here.