Job Quality Indicators » International Comparisons of Job Quality

<< Back to list of all indicators

Incidence of Involuntary Part-time Employment

As can been seen from the chart below, there is large variation in the percentage of involuntary part-time workers across all countries, ranging from a low of 2.6 percent in the Netherlands to a high of 32.4 percent in Finland . Canada has the third highest share of involuntary part-time workers (25.8 percent) as a percentage of part-time work. This compares with the U.S. which has the third lowest rate of involuntary part time work (6.5 percent).

 

Canada Has the Third Highest Share of
Involuntary Part-time Employment as a Percentage of
Part-time Employment
Source: OECD Labour Market Statistics – Indicators, “Involuntary part-time workers”,
2001 data, except for Germany and U.K. based on 2000 data.
 

By Gender and Age


Involuntary Part-time Employment as a Percentage of Part-time Employment, by Gender, Age, and Country
 
  Total
Men
Women
15 -24 Years
25 -54 Years
55 Years and Over
Finland
32.4
20.1
39.4
22.7
49.1
11.8
Greece
29.9
29.3
30.1
41.7
31.9
13.8
Canada
25.8
28.1
24.8
17.8
33.6
18
Sweden
22.5
21
23
22.6
26.1
13.1
Spain
20.9
21.1
20.8
22.9
22.2
9
France
20.6
24.7
19.6
32.7
20.9
6
Belgium
18.0
20.1
17.5
49.6
15.6
12.6
Italy
17.6
16.2
18.1
30.8
18
7
Portugal
15.9
5.8
20.2
15.5
26.1
6.6
Ireland
11.0
20.4
8.4
6.9
12.1
12.2
Denmark
10.9
7.7
12.6
6.5
16.1
6.3
Germany
10.2
15.3
9.3
12.5
10.5
7.9
Austria
9.0
13.6
8.4
15.9
8.6
7.7
United Kingdom
8.3
16.2
6.3
9
8.7
6.3
United States
6.5
7.8
5.8
6.3
8.2
2.7
Luxembourg
5.5
10.2
5.1
29.4
4.2
8.1
Netherlands
2.6
4.2
2.1
3.8
2.4
0.6
17- country average
15.7
16.6
16.0
20.4
18.5
8.8
Source: OECD Labour Market Statistics – Indicators, “Involuntary part-time workers”,
2001 data, except for Germany and U.K. based on 2000 data.
 

Gender

While on average there is little difference in rates of involuntary part-time employment between men and women, there are significant gender gaps in some countries. Men are much more likely to report involuntary part-time employment in Ireland and the U.K. , whereas women are more likely to report involuntary part-time employment in Portugal and Finland . In Canada , men rank second, just behind Greece , in terms of the percentage of involuntary part-time employees. Women in Canada have the third highest incidence of involuntary part-time employment among the 17 countries studied, behind Finland and Greece . These data suggest that involuntary part-time employment is more of an issue in Canada than it is in many other countries and that it is equally problematic for men and women.

 

Age

There is no clear pattern with regard to age and involuntary part-time employment, with a great deal of variation being evident across countries. 

Youth in Greece and Belgium report especially high rates of involuntary part-time employment. Youth in Canada rank ninth, with about 18 percent reporting being employed on a part-time basis, but preferring full-time work. Youth in the U.S. fare better in this regard, with only 6.3 percent of workers under 25 years of age reporting involuntary part-time work, giving the U.S. the second lowest rate after the Netherlands .

With respect to involuntary part-time employment among the core workforce (25-54), again there is a great deal of variation across countries, ranging from a low of 2.4 percent in the Netherlands to a high of 49.1 percent in Finland . In Canada , workers in the core age group (25-54) rank second highest, with about one third of part-time workers preferring full-time work.

Indicators