The government's page on extending the Right to Work Scheme says right to work checks will cover businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers for the first time. The source gives no start date.
The GOV.UK page, titled Extending the Right to Work Scheme, concerns extending right to work checks to the "gig economy" to prevent illegal working.
It states that, through the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025, the government is strengthening enforcement of the rules on illegal working. For the first time, the requirement to carry out right to work checks will be extended to businesses hiring "gig economy" and zero-hours workers.
The page names construction, food delivery, beauty salons, courier services and warehousing. It introduces them with the words "sectors like", so they are examples and not a complete list.
The consultation sought views on two points:
- how the change should be operationalised and enforced
- how processes can be simplified to make it easier for employers to fulfil their responsibilities
The page text available to us does not set out the content of the government response, any implementation date, or detail of how checks and enforcement will work for gig economy and zero-hours workers. We have not reported any of those matters.
What this means for employers
The page states that the requirement to carry out right to work checks will be extended to businesses hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers. It gives no date and no procedural steps, so when the extension takes effect and what employers will have to do are not stated in the source.