The reason why the number of zero hours employment contract offers has increased in the past years is that employers are seeking more cost effective manners in which they can meet their needs for employing some staff for short terms. There are opportunities for this type of employment in a number of sectors, especially in the retail industry and in the hospitality sector. Zero hours employment means that the people employed in such manner give their agreement to be available for doing work when that is required, but they will have no guaranteed working hours or working times. People on zero hours employment are practically on call, ready to go to work as and when the need for that arises.Companies and employers are not under the obligation to offer this type of work to their workers, but the zero hours employment contract may be needed in circumstances when there is no need for regular work to be done within regular working hours.There are regulations with respect to this type of employment, such as the requirement for the payment of minimum wages in some countries. Furthermore, if the circumstances necessitate the workers on zero hours employment to remain in their workplace for specified time periods in the event that there arises work to be done, the time of waiting should be included in the total working time.The zero hours employment contract may be the choice for people who would prefer to have occasional opportunities to earn money, and the flexibility of working time can suit them. But in all cases the employer should make people willing to enter such a contract aware of the exact nature of the periods of work and the payment, to avoid any misunderstanding when people who are not completely familiar with the nature of such contracts decide that they are the right choice for them but may find out later that they have made a serious mistake.People who are willing to undertake a zero hours employment contract should be informed that the work they will be given will be of casual nature, and there will be no guarantee of a specified amount of work for certain specified periods of time.It should also be pointed out that such contracts will have their legal risks. Employers should be aware that in the event that the contract has to be taken to a court or to an employment tribunal, they may decide that in fact the contract for zero employment constitutes an employment relationship. For the purpose, the aspects to be investigated will be the extent to which the person on a zero employment contract can decide when they can work, how they will work, what tools they will use, and also whether they will be able to subcontract the work given to them. In the event that these aspects are not present, the decision on the employment contract type will be that because there is a degree of control, the relationship between the person on zero hours and the employer is a regular employment relationship.