{"id":4559,"date":"2018-11-20T06:58:42","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T06:58:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/reality-check-can-you-be-employed-for-one-hours-work\/"},"modified":"2018-11-20T06:58:42","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T06:58:42","slug":"reality-check-can-you-be-employed-for-one-hours-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.styledeals.co.uk\/blog\/reality-check-can-you-be-employed-for-one-hours-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Reality Check: Can you be ’employed’ for one hour’s work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
<\/p>\n

\"PeopleImage copyright<\/span>
\n Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Just how many hours do you need to work to be officially classified as “employed”? <\/p>\n

Steve Garner, a sociologist, recently tweeted about how his son had repeatedly turned up to work at a warehouse only to be regularly told he wasn’t needed.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n Skip Twitter post by @SteveGarner5<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n

My son’s new job: he gets up before 5 to walk 45 mins for 6.00 shift in a warehouse. No buses. So far he’s been sent home 4 times out of 8 because they already have enough ppl. They don’t call, just wait until he and other un-needed workers arrive. I’m horrified. Is this common?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Dr Steve Garner (@SteveGarner5) November 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

End of Twitter post by @SteveGarner5<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Mr Garner’s message was retweeted more than 8,000 times. In the replies, several people commented about the employment status of people who worked on zero-hour contracts. <\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n Skip Twitter post by @WASPI_Campaign<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n

Interesting. If that\u2019s his only or main job and he works at least one hour a week for that employer, he will be counted as employed for official government stats, and yet it\u2019s highly likely he\u2019s not earning enough to either live on or pay towards a future pension #WASPI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 #WASPI Campaign (@WASPI_Campaign) November 18, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

End of Twitter post by @WASPI_Campaign<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BBC Reality Check asked the Office for National Statistics (ONS) whether working just one hour a week was all that was needed to be officially classified as employed?<\/p>\n

The ONS told us it was actually one hour over two weeks. <\/p>\n

Every three months, a large survey (known as the Labour Force Survey) is sent to approximately 90,000 people, selected at random. The ONS extrapolates the findings to produce employment bulletins. <\/p>\n

A person will need to have worked at least one hour in the two weeks before the interview with the ONS takes place to be classified as employed. <\/p>\n

Its most recent survey put the UK employment rate (of people aged 16-64) at 75.5%<\/a> – very close to a record high. <\/p>\n

The figures were welcomed by government, with Employment Minister Alok Sharma saying: “The benefits of a strong jobs market are paying off.<\/a>“<\/p>\n