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Involuntary part-time work among adult Canadians
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Involuntary part-time workers aged 25 and over numbered more than half a million (529,000) in 2008, up 4.9% from 2007. This increase contrasts with annual declines averaging 4% from 2004 to 2007.
Involuntary part-time work, a form of underemployment, tends to increase during economic downturns and decrease during recoveries.
People who work part-time involuntarily usually put in less than 30 hours per week at their main job because they can't find full-time employment.
While women account for the majority of involuntary part-time workers, part-time men are more likely to prefer longer hours than women (33.0% versus 24.4% in 2008).
Chart - Involuntary part-time work among Canadians aged 25 years and over
Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey.
There were almost 2 million part-time workers aged 25 and older in 2008, up 3.8% from the previous year. The number of men working part-time grew at double the pace among women (6.0% versus 3.0%).
Also, from 1997 to 2008, employment among adult men grew at a slower pace, increasing at an annual average of 1.7% versus 2.4% for women. Full-time employment increased 1.6% annually for men compared with 2.8% for women. On the other hand, part-time employment increased 2.8% annually for men versus 1.0% for women.
Table - Involuntary part-time work among Canadians aged 25 years and over
