zero-hours contract

A form of zero-hour contract — A contract of employment that creates an on-call arrangement in which the employee agrees to be available for work as and when required, without any particular number of hours or times of work being specified or guaranteed.

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Meanings

nounzero-hours contract (plural zero-hours contracts)

plural zero-hours contracts

  1. alternativeAlternative form of zero-hour contract.

    And Swissport, the company which handles aircraft and baggage at many British airports, has already told all staff on zero hours contracts that they are no longer required.

    2020 March 25, “Network News: What COVID-19 means for rail in a wider transport context”, in Rail, page 10
    1 more example

    Workers on zero-hours contracts lose an estimated £1,000 a year compared with employees doing the same work, according to a study that underscores the divide between people in precarious jobs and those who have a permanent contract.

    2016 December 30, Phillip Inman, “Zero-hours workers '£1,000 worse off a year' than employees”, in The Guardian
Cite this entry
APA

zero-hours contract. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero-hours%20contract

MLA

“zero-hours contract.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero-hours%20contract. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zero-hours contract,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zero-hours%20contract.

Source: zero-hours contract on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.