Part-time employment

Part-time work accounted for a substantial share of overall employment growth in many OECD countries between 1992 and 2005. Part-time work has been an important factor behind employment growth of groups that are often under-represented in the labour force, such as women, youths and, to a lesser extent, older workers.

Recent surveys in a large number of OECD countries show that most people who work part-time do so from choice. This suggests that countries with little part-time employment could foster increased employment by policies that promote the availability of part-time positions. This would particularly benefit women with young children.

Definition

Part-time employment refers to persons who usually work less than 30 hours per week in their main job. Both employees and the self-employed may be part-time workers.

Employment is generally measured through household labour force surveys and, according to the ILO Guidelines, employed persons are defined as those aged 15 or over who report that they have worked in gainful employment for at least one hour in the previous week. The rates shown here refer to the numbers of persons who usually work less than 30 hours per week as a percentage of the total number of those in employment.

Comparability

All OECD countries use the ILO Guidelines for measuring employment, but the operational definitions used in national labour force surveys vary slightly in Iceland and Turkey. Employment levels are also likely to be affected by changes in the survey design and/or the survey conduct, but employment rates are likely to be fairly consistent over time. Information on the number of hours worked is collected in household labour force surveys and the rates shown here are considered to be of good comparability.