Part-time work booms across Europe

However, on the negative side, it may increase overall labour costs for businesses due to the presence of fixed costs, means employees have lower earnings on average and fewer possibilities for progressing in their career.

Increase in part time workers

The report found that the number of people working part time has increased in the last two decades for both men and women at a similar rate. However, the part-time rate for women (32%) is four times the part-time rate for men (8%).

While male part-time is most common in the youngest and the oldest age groups, the female part time rate increased with age, which the report says reflects gender inequalities in transitions from part time to full time.

The report also found large differences in both the proportion of part-timers and the organisation of part-time work across European countries due to various factors, including a lack of demand or even opposition to involuntary part-time by workers, lack of regulation, a shortage of good quality part-time jobs and  undeclared part-time work. Women also mentioned lack of access to affordable childcare as a potential barrier.

Working conditions for part time jobs

Part-time workers’ working conditions were found to be different from that of full-time workers. The main differences includnig the fact that those working shorter hours are less likely to perform complex tasks, part-time workers were less optimistic about their prospects for promotion, part-time workers were less likely to receive training and to learn new things at work and full-time workers were more likely to find their job intellectually demanding than part-time workers.

Most popular sector for part time working