Number of Scots working on ‘toxic’ zero hours contracts falls

THE number of Scots working on “toxic” zero hours contracts has fallen to 63,000, new figures revealed.

Official statistics showed in the period April to June 2018 2.4% of all those in work were employed in this way – compared to 2.5% of workers in England and Wales.

The data, from the Office for National Statistics, showed the number of zero hours contracts in Scotland was down by 8,000 from the same April to June 2017, and was 15,000 lower than the same period in 2016.

SNP MSP Sandra White said this was as a result of the “SNP prioritising fair work, leading by example in government and the public sector and encouraging business to follow suit”.

The Glasgow Kelvin MSP said: “Toxic zero-hours contracts are exploitative, can leave people without the income they need to live and with no means to budget for them and their families.

“It’s extremely encouraging to see further progress is being made, with 8,000 fewer folk in Scotland employed on zero-hours contracts than there were last year. And that comes on top of the previous year which saw a 7,000 drop on 2016’s figures – so there’s clearly steady progress being made.

“We’re performing better than the Tories in England and Labour in Wales in tackling the prevalence of toxic zero hours contracts and these latest figures are extremely welcome indeed.”