Zero-hours contract

A zero-hours contract puts no minimum on the hours an employer must offer, and (in most cases) no obligation on the worker to accept the hours offered when they come up. It's common in hospitality, retail and care, where demand for staff varies week to week.

People on zero-hours contracts are usually 'workers' rather than 'employees' in UK employment law, which gives them core rights — National Minimum Wage, paid holiday (accrued on the 12.07% basis), rest breaks, and protection from unlawful discrimination — but not the full set of employee-only rights such as statutory redundancy pay or the right to request flexible working, until they've built up qualifying service as an employee (which zero-hours work can still count towards, if the relationship is genuinely ongoing).

The Employment Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent in December 2025 and introduces a duty for employers to offer qualifying zero-hours and low-hours workers a guaranteed-hours contract reflecting the hours they've regularly worked, plus new rules on reasonable notice of shifts and payment for shifts cancelled at short notice. As of August 2026 these zero-hours provisions are not yet in force — the government's consultation on the detailed regulations closes in August 2026, with the new regime expected to commence in 2027. Employers should treat the current position as transitional rather than settled.