The government has said that for JSA- no, but for Universal Credit, yes. One of the objectives of UC is to promote flexible working in the gig economy. '..Universal Credit payments adjust automatically depending on the amount a claimant earns, so that a claimant whose hours may change are financially supported and do not need to switch their benefit claim. Therefore, a Universal Credit claimant can be expected to apply for a zero-hours contract job if it considered suitable for their individual circumstances. If there is no good reason that a Universal Credit claimant cannot take a zero-hours contract job they may be sanctioned for not doing so.
A Universal Credit claimant may still be sanctioned if they do not have good reason for leaving a zero-hours contract job voluntarily.'
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