The Verkhovna Rada has passed a legislative act regulating irregular employment. Persons engaged to perform casual but recurring work which employers need to be done from time to time can now officially document their labor relationship.

This legislation introduces a new, special form of employment contract: employment contract with irregular working hours, which is similar to the “zero hours contract” used in other countries, particularly in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands and Hungary. One employer can offer multiple employment contracts of this type, but their number cannot exceed 10% of the total number of that enterprise’s employment contracts.

At the same time, unlike the ordinary zero hours contract, Ukrainian law guarantees the minimal duration of employee’s paid worktime (32 hours), regardless of the actual employment during the guaranteed period. This provision is aimed to protect employees against potential abuse.

An employment contract with irregular working hours will stipulate the method and period of notifying the employee about the availability of work, the procedure of providing the employee’s notice of readiness for work, and the intervals when the employee may be required to work (basic hours and days).

An employee will be paid for the actual time they worked. At the same time, a freelancer can simultaneously work for another employer, which creates an additional opportunity to earn more money. At the same time, an employee will have basic social benefits, such as paid sick leave and vacation.

The proposed legislative innovations are conformant with international practices and the EU legislation on transparent and predictable working conditions. At the same time, the implementation of legislation regulating freelance work will help minimize unemployment and promote recruitment of specialists the market needs.