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Chris Radburn/PA Wire
UK News

Churches debt counsellors warns of job insecurity after zero-hours contracts rise

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures released on Wednesday revealed 905,000 people were employed on zero-hours contracts in the last three months of 2016, 101,000 more than during the previous quarter.

Speaking with Premier, Liam Purcell director of communications at the debt counselling charity Church Action on Poverty said such working arrangements do offer job security but cause "huge problems".

He said: "The reality is that the employer has all the power and people are left in really insecure, unstable positions when they don't know from week-to-week how many hours they're going to be working or what their income is going to be.

"That causes massive problems for people who have got caring responsibilities - it causes stress and difficulty."

Those on zero-hours contracts are most likely to be young women who are in either part-time or full-time education, according to the ONS figures.

Liam Purcell went on to say: "It causes problems for people who are in receipt of benefits because the benefits system is constantly having to adjust to differing incomes which causes huge problems."

The statistics also revealed UK unemployment has reached its lowest level since 1975, with the number of people in work rising in the same three months by 92,000 to 32 million.

J J Ellison

Employment Minister Damian Hinds said: "Employment is up, wages are up and there are more people working full-time. This is good news for hard-working families across the UK as we continue to build a country that works for everyone.

"But we have more to do, which is why we're pressing ahead with our welfare reforms to ensure that it always pays to be in work."

Listen to Premier's Nick Hull speaking with Liam Purcell at Church Action on Poverty:

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