A part-time job is a form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full-time job. Workers are considered to be part time if they commonly work fewer than 30 or 35 hours per week.[1] According to the International Labour Organization, the number of part-time workers has increased from one-fourth to a half in the past 20 years in most developed countries, excluding the United States.[1] There are many reasons for working part time, including the desire to do so, having one's hours cut back by an employer and being unable to find a full-time job. The International Labour Organisation Convention 175 requires that part-time workers be treated no less favourably than full-time workers.[2]
"Part-time" can also be used in reference to a student (usually in higher education) who takes only a few courses, rather than a full load of coursework each semester.
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Part-time employment in Australia involves a comprehensive framework. Part-time employees work less hours than their full-time counterparts within a specific industry, this can vary but is generally less than 16 hours per week.
Part-time employees within Australia are legally entitled to paid annual leave, sick leave, and having maternity leave etc. except it is covered on a 'pro-rata' (percentage) basis depending on the hours worked each week.
Furthermore, as a part-time employee is guaranteed a regular roster within a workplace, they are given an annular salary paid each week, fortnight or month. Employers within Australia are obliged to provide minimum notice requirements for termination, redundancy and change of rostered hours in relation to part-time workers [2].
As of January 2010, the number of part-time workers within Australia is approximately 3.3 million out of the 10.9 million individuals within the Australian workforce [3].
In Canada, part-time workers are those who usually work fewer than 30 hours per week at their main or only job.[3] In 2007, just over 1 in every 10 employees aged 25 to 54 worked part time. A person who has a part-time placement is often contracted to a company or business in which they have a set of terms they agree with.
Part-time workers in the United Kingdom are protected by legislation that states they should be treated no less favourably than full time equivalent colleagues.[4]
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, working part time is defined as working between 1 and 35 hours per week.[5] In 2007, 18.3 million Americans worked part time. [6]
Typically, part-time employees in the United States are not entitled to employee benefits, such as health insurance.
Arubaito (JPN:アルバイト) or Arubaitu (KOR: 아르바이트) is a common term used in East Asia to refer to a part-time job. The word is a rendering of the German noun "Arbeit" (work).