Jobseekers risk losing their benefits if they turn down certain zero-hours contracts without good reason, the government has said.
Until now, people on Jobseeker's Allowance could refuse to accept such jobs without facing penalties.
But the new universal credit system demands that people take up the casual contracts - even though they do not always guarantee work.
The government insisted such contracts offer an average 25 hours work a week.
End Quote Department for Work and PensionsIt is right that people do everything they can to find work and that we support them to build up their working hours and earnings"
A spokesman also explained that when workers did not get the hours they needed, their universal credit payments would adjust automatically to ensure they were financially supported.
Under the new scheme, claimants who turn down a zero-hours contract when it is thought to be suitable could lose payments for more than three months.
Employment Minister Esther McVey outlined the change in a letter to Labour MP Sheila Gilmore about benefits sanctions, the Guardian has reported.
The newspaper said Jobcentre "coaches" would be able to "mandate" zero-hours contracts if they thought the role was suitable for the claimant.
A spokesman from the Department for Work and Pensions said claimants needed to do everything they could to get work.
'Hassle'He said: "As now, if there's a good reason someone can't just take a particular job they won't be sanctioned.
"But it is right that people do everything they can to find work and that we support them to build up their working hours and earnings."
He said the average zero-hours contract provided workers with 25 hours of work a week and could "lead to long-term opportunities".
"Universal credit payments will adjust automatically depending on the hours a person works to ensure that people whose hours may change are financially supported and do not face the hassle and bureaucracy of switching their benefit claims," the spokesman added.
Ms Gilmore said while she did not object to the principle of either universal credit or zero-hours contracts, she was "concerned" by the policy change.
"I also fear that if people are required to take jobs with zero-hours contracts, they could be prevented from taking training courses or applying for other jobs that might lead to more stable and sustainable employment in the long term," she told the Guardian.
- One in five employers has at least one employee on a zero-hours contract
- Staff have no guaranteed hours
- They are entitled to holiday pay
- The contracts are often used in retail and in the hospitality sector
Unions last week called for action against zero-hours working.
This followed a study that showed around 1.4 million jobs involved contracts that did not guarantee a minimum number of hours.
The Office for National Statistics said most of the contracts were zero hours.
Under these contracts, people are not guaranteed work from one week to the next. But officials have pointed out that some workers could have more than one contract at a time.
Are you a jobseeker who has been offered a zero-hours contract? Are you a business which uses such contracts? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, using the subject line 'Zero-hours contracts'.
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