Part-Time Work

Over the past decades, part-time work is estimated to have grown worldwide. However, ­reliable data about how many people work part time is missing because part-time work has little relevance in many developing economies, where institutional structures for formal, time-regulated working arrangements are less common. In these countries, the hours of work are mainly driven by the need to secure an income. Hence, in countries with a small share of wage and salaried workers, such as in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, part-time work is less meaningful. In contrast, for countries in developed economies, such as the United States, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Latin America, and the Caribbean, part-time work has become highly relevant, especially for women, as models of reduced working times ...