Statistics and indicators on women and men
 

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Table 5b. Part-time employment
Latest update: June 2009
 
Country or area
Year
Women
Men
%
Source
Argentina                   2003   c,m,d
43
  
19
  
62
HS
  
Aruba                       1994   c,w
11
  
3
  
71
HS
  
Australia                   2007   a,h,q
39
  
12
  
72
HS
  
Austria                     2007   l,i
32
  
5
  
84
MC
  
Bahamas                     2002   c
12
  
10
  
54
HS
  
Barbados                    1999   a,b,g
14
  
8
  
60
HS
  
Belgium                     2007   i
33
  
6
  
81
ELFS
  
Belize                      1999   e,I,b
26
  
12
  
49
HS
  
Bolivia                     2002   c,w
31
  
17
  
58
HS
  
British Virgin Islands 1991   b,w,e
14
  
8
  
11
PC
  
Bulgaria                    1999
…
  
…
  
67
HS
  
Canada                      2007   a,i,r
26
  
11
  
68
HS
  
Chile                       2000   b,w
10
  
10
  
80
HS
  
Costa Rica                  2003   h,w
25
  
10
  
58
HS
  
Czech Republic              2007   i
6
  
2
  
72
HS
  
Denmark                     2007   i
24
  
12
  
63
ELFS
  
Dominica                    1997   b,w
28
  
12
  
65
HS
  
Dominican Republic          2003   j,m
23
  
12
  
50
HS
  
Ecuador                     2002   c,o
23
  
12
  
56
HS
  
El Salvador                 2003   j,m,b
20
  
15
  
49
HS
  
Estonia                     2000   k
9
  
4
  
68
HS
  
Finland                     2007   h
16
  
8
  
64
ELFS
  
France                      2007   i
23
  
5
  
80
ELFS
  
Germany                     2007   i
39
  
8
  
81
ELFS
  
Greece 2007
14
  
4
  
68
ELFS
  
Grenada                     1998   b,w,d
36
  
30
  
46
HS
  
Guatemala                   2003   b,i
38
  
10
  
70
HS
  
Honduras                    2003   b,j,s,w
35
  
16
  
53
HS
  
Hungary                     2007   i
4
  
2
  
69
HS
  
Iceland                     2007   h
25
  
8
  
73
HS
  
Ireland                     2007   i
36
  
8
  
80
ELFS
  
Italy                       2007   i
30
  
5
  
79
ELFS
  
Japan                       2007   h,b,f
33
  
9
  
72
HS
  
Latvia                      2000
12
  
10
  
55
HS
  
Lithuania                   2000
10
  
8
  
56
HS
  
Luxembourg                  2007   i
29
  
2
  
93
ELFS
  
Mexico                      2004   i
28
  
8
  
65
HS
  
Netherlands                 2007   i
60
  
16
  
75
ELFS
  
Netherlands Antilles        1998   b,t,w
19
  
7
  
69
HS
  
New Zealand 2007   a,h,u
35
  
11
  
73
HS
  
Nicaragua                   2003   j,w,b
20
  
10
  
56
HS
  
Norway                      2007   h,z
32
  
11
  
73
HS
  
Panama                      2003   a,j,m,w,b
22
  
16
  
42
HS
  
Paraguay                    2003   c
25
  
14
  
50
HS
  
Poland                      2007   i
15
  
6
  
67
HS
  
Portugal                    2007   i
14
  
6
  
66
ELFS
  
Republic of Korea          2007   a,b,n,h
13
  
6
  
59
HS
  
Romania                     2000
19
  
14
  
54
HS
  
Slovakia                    2007   i
4
  
1
  
74
HS
  
Slovenia                    2000   t
8
  
5
  
58
HS
  
South Africa                1999
13
  
6
  
59
HS
  
Spain                       2007   i
21
  
4
  
80
ELFS
  
Suriname                    1998   y,b
32
  
12
  
59
HS
  
Sweden                      2007   i
20
  
10
  
65
HS
  
Switzerland                 2007   i
46
  
9
  
81
HS
  
TFYR of Macedonia 2000
8
  
7
  
44
HS
  
Trinidad and Tobago 2002   b,d
10
  
7
  
45
HS
  
Turkey                      2007   a,h
19
  
5
  
60
HS
  
United Kingdom              2007   i
39
  
10
  
77
ELFS
  
United States               2007   a,x,j,v
18
  
8
  
68
HS
  
Venezuela                   2003   m,c
32
  
15
  
57
HS
  

Sources:

International Labour Office, Table 5. Part-time workers, published in Key Indicators of the Labour Market (KILM) Fifth Edition, CD-ROM version (ISBN 978-92-2-020137-4). Also available at: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/kilm/ (accessed June 2009).

ELFS European Labour Force Survey (EUROSTAT).
HS Labour Force Survey or Household Survey.
MC Micro-census.
PC Population Census.

Footnotes:

a Refers to civilian labour force only.
b Actual hours measured.
c Hours measured not available.
d 32 part-time hours cut-off.
e 34 part-time hours cut-off.
f 35 part-time hours cut-off.
g 39 part-time hours cut-off.
h All jobs covered.
i Main job covered.
j Primary and secondary jobs covered.
k Excluding conscripts.
l Excluding employed persons with working time which varies considerably.
m Excluding contributing family workers working less than 15 hours per week.
n Excluding contributing family workers working less than 18 hours per week.
o Urban areas.
p 31 urban agglomerations.
q Excluding Jervis Bay Territory.
r Excluding persons living in the Yukon, in Nunavut and in the North West Territories.
s Excluding the province of Islas de la Bahía.
t Curaçao.
u Excluding Chathams, Antarctic Territory and other minor offshore islands.
v Excluding Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa.
w Total employment excludes persons whose hours of work are unknown.
x Data are for wage and salaried workers only.
y Total employment excludes persons whose hours of work are unknown but worked more than 20 hours per week.
z Usual hours refer to settled hours as determined by working agreements.

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Technical notes:

This table presents statistics on part-time workers---i.e. employed person whose normal hours of work are less than those of comparable “full-time” workers (see definition below). The percentage of the female and male employment that is part-time refers, respectively, to the proportion of the total female and total male adult labour force comprised of part-time workers. Looking at part-time employment by sex is useful to see the extent to which the female labour force is more likely to work part-time than the male labour force.

The women’s share of part-time employment refers to the percentage of the total part-time employment that is comprised by women. This indicator is useful to monitor the concentration of women in part-time employment.

In using these indicators for international comparisons it should be noted that there is no internationally accepted standard for the minimum number of hours worked per week that would constitute full-time work. The distinction between “full-time” and “part-time” employment is therefore established on a country-by-country basis or in special regional compilations. Many countries have established demarcation points that lie between 30 and 40 hours per week. Other countries classify part-time and full-time workers on the basis of respondents' interpretations of their personal work situations---i.e. whether they view themselves as full-time or as part-time jobholders.