Young people's experiences of precarious and flexible work – Evidence Review

Introduction

Progressive Partnership was commissioned by the Scottish Government to undertake research to better understand young people’s experiences of precarious and flexible work. The research included secondary desk research, as well as primary research in the form of focus groups and a large Scotland-wide face-to-face survey.

The Scottish Government acknowledged that the existing information, knowledge and data on precarious working conditions, such as zero hours contracts, is limited across Scotland. A desk study phase was undertaken to identify and understand the existing information and research available on this topic, both within Scotland and further afield across the rest of the UK and other relevant areas.

This report documents the results of the desk research phase of the research project. The Scottish Government set out nine research questions that the research was to address. The key purpose of this report is to help address these research questions; however, it is also important that this report both informs the primary research, and provides context to and supports interpretation of the final data set.