New figures from the National Youth Council of Ireland show that almost half of young people from the age of 18 to 29 are on non-standard contracts.
47% of those surveyed in a new Red C poll say they do not have full time hours that are the same each week.
38% revealed that they are signed up to temporary contracts, while just over a third are only working part-time.
James Doorley, NYCI Deputy Director, believes employers are exploiting such arrangements.
He said: "There seems to be a big shift and these are becoming far too common and far too prevalent.
I think some businesses seem to have a business model which is very much predicated on a high turnover of temporary and part time employment and we don’t believe that is sustainable."