Workers on zero-hours contracts
typically earn £1,000 a year less than permanent employees, according to
Resolution Foundation research.
People on the controversial contracts face a "precarious pay penalty" of 6.6%, or 93p an hour, the think tank has estimated.
For those who earn the least, the size of the gap is even greater, at 9.5%.
The foundation backed the government's decision, announced last month, to hold a review into modern working practices.
"Understanding
the reasons behind this pay penalty will be crucial in order to tackle
some of the challenges raised by new forms of employment, without
jeopardising the success of the UK's flexible jobs market," it said in a statement.
Laura
Gardiner, senior policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, added
that the "pay penalty" of zero-hours contracts was "a big price to pay
for work that too often lacks the security workers desire".
She said: "Zero-hours contracts have hit the headlines in recent months for their widespread use in Sports Direct and JD Sports.
"But
concern about the use and abuse of zero-hours contracts goes far wider
than a few notorious firms. There is mounting evidence that their use is
associated with a holding down of wages.
"As new ways of working
continue to grow - from [zero-hours contracts] and agency work to the
gig economy and wider self-employment - we need a better understanding
of how they help or hinder people's earnings and career prospects.
"Policymakers
must also tread a careful path between getting to grips with the living
standards challenges thrown up by new and often insecure forms of
employment, without jeopardising Britain's recent job-creating success."
Mathew
Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Arts, has been
appointed to lead a government review into how the so-called "gig"
economy is affecting workers' rights.
It will look at how new
technology, combined with new business models, has led to a rise in
workers doing short-term, casual work.
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