Minister of State for Business and Employment Gerald Nash has said that if the law needs to be changed to protect low-paid workers on zero-hour contracts he will not shirk from doing so.
Zero-hour contracts are prevalent in a number of sectors, including catering, hospitality, teaching and the health sector, in both the public and private sectors.
Under such contracts, workers have to be available to work at the discretion of the employer, but have no guarantee of a fixed number of hours each week.
Unions argue that this means that they experience huge uncertainty regarding both a regular income and planning family life.
Mr Nash announced the Government is tendering for a study into the prevalence of zero-hour contracts in Ireland.
He expects the tender to be complete within four weeks and the final study should be finished by the end of March 2015.
The minister said the group carrying out the study would be expected to consult with all stakeholders, including employees and employers.
Mr Nash said work should always pay and the study should examine how precarious work interacts with social welfare.
He acknowledged that State was paying "a couple of hundred million" to support low-paid workers, but said such payments should not become long-term supports.
Asked whether zero-hour contracts in the public service should be halted, he said he did not want to pre-empt the outcome of the study.
