Employment contract with non-fixed working hours as a tool for adapting the labor market to modern challenges: ad-vantages and risks

The article is devoted to research on the issue of introducing employment contracts with non-fixed working hours into the labor legislation of Ukraine. The author analyses the impact of current global challenges, such as digitalization, economic crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine, on the modern labor market. The article analyses the amendments to the Labor Code of Ukraine (in particular, Article 211), provides a legislative definition of the specified type of employment contract, and highlights the characteristic features of the latter. The article notes that the type of employment contract under research is analogous to the foreign “zero-hours contract.” It compares it with similar employment models in other countries, mainly the UK, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and other countries in the European Union. It is noted that there is no single standardized approach to regulating the use of this type of employment contract at the EU level. Therefore, such regulation is carried out at the level of individual states, with specific significant differences. The article outlines the advantages of an employment contract with non-fixed working hours for the modern labor market in Ukraine, particularly the possibility of legalizing freelancing, adapting to modern challenges, and organizing work under martial law. Particular attention is paid to the essential terms of an employment contract with non-fixed working hours, such as the terms of notice, essential hours and days of work, and the grounds for termination of such contracts. It is emphasized that these aspects must be further improved to ensure transparency of labor relations and avoid labor disputes due to possible abuse by employers and imperfect legislative regulation. The author analyses some aspects of international experience and suggests ways to address specific threats. The conclusions emphasize the prospects of this type of agreement for Ukraine, especially in the context of digitalization and economic instability. However, the author suggests further improvement of legal regulation based on international experience to achieve maximum efficiency. Keywords: employment contract, non-fixed working hours, adaptation of labor relations, legal regulation.