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Part-time employment in Canada and selected industrialized countries

In 2007, just over 1 in every 10 (11.5%) core-age employees (25 to 54) worked part time in Canada, that is no more than 30 hours per week, according to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey estimates and the OECD.

Compared with seven other industrialized countries (Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States), Canada had the second lowest part-time employment rate after the U.S. (7.1%).

Proportion of employed persons aged 25 to 54 who usually worked no more than 30 hours weekly at their main job, in Canada and selected industrialized countries, 2007

Chart: Proportion of employed persons aged 25 to 54 who usually worked no more than 30 hours weekly at their main job, in Canada and selected industrialized countries, 2007

The Netherlands, which had the highest part-time employment rate among core-age employees (almost 29%), also had the lowest unemployment rate for this group—2.7%, compared with 5.1% in Canada.

Also, not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of part-time workers were women—from 78.8% in Canada to 89.1% in the Netherlands.

The proportion of women aged 25 to 54 who worked part-time in 2007 ranged from 12% in the U.S. to 56% in the Netherlands. In Canada, 19% of women aged 25 to 54 worked part time.

 

Table: Proportion of employed persons aged 25 to 54 who usually worked no more than 30 hours weekly at their main job, in Canada and selected industrialized countries, 2007. Opens a new browser window.

Table
Proportion of employed persons aged 25 to 54 who usually worked no more than 30 hours weekly at their main job, in Canada and selected industrialized countries, 2007


Related to this topic:

"Hours polarization revisited (PDF)," Perspectives on Labour and Income, Statistics Canada, March 2008.

Part-time Work and Family-friendly Practices in Canadian Workplaces (PDF), Statistics Canada, June 2003.

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