Countries with the highest rates of part-time employment and the reasons behind it

Although full-time positions remain the standard, part-time roles are gaining traction as workers seek more flexibility and improved work-life balance. Employers are also turning to part-time arrangements to manage costs and respond to changing workloads. Eurostat reported that in 2024, 17.1% of employed people in the EU worked part-time, defining part-time as working fewer hours than a comparable full-time employee in the same role. According to the OECD, this generally means fewer than 30 hours per week for both employees and the self-employed.

Differences Across Europe

Across 33 European nations, part-time employment rates vary widelyfrom just 1.5% in Bulgaria to 40.5% in Switzerland, followed closely by the Netherlands at 38.9%. Austria and Germany also record high levels, with nearly one in three workers employed part-time. Conversely, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia, and Hungary all register below 5%. These numbers highlight a clear regional divide, with part-time work far less common in Eastern Europe and the Balkans than in Western and Northern Europe.

Women, Youth, and Older Workers

Women, younger workers, older employees, and people with reduced work capacity tend to prefer part-time schedules. As a result, countries with higher employment rates among these groups typically show elevated part-time participation. In 2024, for example, the Netherlands led the EU in womens employment, exceeding the EU average by 12.7 percentage points. Employment among people aged 1524 was more than 40 points higher, and workers aged 6064 were employed at rates over 15 points above the EU average. In contrast, nations where these groups participate less in the labour market usually record far lower part-time rates.

Sectoral Differences: Services vs. Manufacturing

Part-time jobs are especially prevalent in services such as retail, healthcare, education, and hospitality, where daily and weekly staffing needs fluctuate. Employers in these sectors use part-time contracts to adjust staffing levels, reduce labour costs, and respond to inconsistent demand. Germanys mini-jobs are a notable example, forming a substantial share of the countrys part-time roles.

According to 2023 ILO figures, services account for more than 80% of total employment in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. This share is significantly lower in parts of Central and South Eastern Europeincluding Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungarywhere manufacturing remains a dominant employer and full-time roles are the norm.

Wage levels also shape part-time participation. In high-income countries, reduced hours can still deliver sufficient earnings, while in lower-wage economies, part-time work may not be financially sustainable. This contributes to the comparatively low part-time rates found in many Eastern European states.

Gender Divide

Part-time employment remains far more common among women than men: 27.8% compared with 7.7%. In Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Austria, over half of all employed women work part-time, with Germany close behind. Romania stands out as the only country where the rate is slightly higher among men, and Bulgaria shows no gender difference. Even in countries with low overall part-time rates, the gender gap often remains substantial.

Historical patterns help explain the divide. In the Netherlands, for example, part-time employment expanded in the 1960s when labour shortages created a need for additional workers, and in 1957 the repeal of laws requiring married women to leave certain jobs opened new opportunities. Over time, part-time roles became widely accepted as a means for women to balance paid work with caregiving responsibilitiesa norm that continues today.

In several countries, subsequent labour market negotiations further entrenched part-time work, including agreements in the 1980s that reduced working hours in exchange for moderate wage growth. As a result, part-time jobs grew more accessible and protected, reinforcing their popularity, particularly among women.

Researchers also identify cultural shifts, stagnating wages that reduce the viability of a single full-time income, limited childcare infrastructure that restricts mothers ability to work full-time, and increased labour market flexibilisationas seen in Germanyas additional drivers influencing part-time employment patterns.

Author: Sophia Brooks