Full-time and part-time employment based on national definition in OECD
OECD: Full-time and part-time employment based on national definition was 504,527 Persons in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Full-time and part-time employment based on national definition in OECD, 1966–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.
Analysis
OECD recorded 504,527 Persons for full-time and part-time employment based on national definition in 2025. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, full-time and part-time employment based on national definition in OECD peaked at 504,527 Persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4,349 Persons, in 1966.
OECD ranks 1st of 40 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4,477 Persons | 4,349 Persons | 4,610 Persons | 4 |
| 1970s | 52,935 Persons | 4,826 Persons | 123,686 Persons | 10 |
| 1980s | 190,908 Persons | 122,507 Persons | 252,761 Persons | 10 |
| 1990s | 309,415 Persons | 256,899 Persons | 341,891 Persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 425,042 Persons | 402,260 Persons | 443,237 Persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 451,876 Persons | 429,962 Persons | 479,885 Persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 489,422 Persons | 463,508 Persons | 504,527 Persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD
More work & labour data for OECD
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 32 - Employment by 36,963 Persons (2022)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 32 - Employment by 37,610 Persons (2022)
- Employment and unemployment by five-year age group and sex - levels 666,682 Persons (2025)
- Average annual hours actually worked per worker — Hours worked 1,736 Hours per year per person (2025)
- Incidence of unemployment by duration 27.97 Percentage of population in the same subgroup (2025)
- Gender share of part-time employment 65.83 Percentage of population in the same subgroup (2025)
- Incidence of full-time and part-time employment based on national 79.66 Percentage of population in the same subgroup (2025)
- Full-time and part-time employment 504,527 Persons (2025)
- Incidence of full-time and part-time employment based on 83.31 Percentage of population in the same subgroup (2025)
- Full-time and part-time employment based on OECD-harmonized definition 535,737 Persons (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is full-time and part-time employment based on national definition in OECD?
- Full-time and part-time employment based on national definition in OECD was 504,527 Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest full-time and part-time employment based on national definition recorded in OECD?
- The highest recorded value was 504,527 Persons in 2025.
- What is the lowest full-time and part-time employment based on national definition recorded in OECD?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,349 Persons in 1966.
- How does OECD rank for full-time and part-time employment based on national definition?
- OECD ranks 1st out of 40 countries with data for 2025.
- Is full-time and part-time employment based on national definition rising or falling in OECD?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this OECD data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Full-time and part-time employment based on national definition. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset contains data on full-time and part-time employment based on national definition. Data are broken down by professional status - employees, total employment - sex and standardised age groups (15-24, 25-54, 55+, total). National definitions of part-time work vary considerably across OECD countries. Essentially three main approaches can be distinguished: i) a classification based on the worker’s perception of his/her employment situation; ii) a cut-off (generally 30 or 35 hours per week) based on usual working hours, with persons usually working fewer hours being considered part-timers; iii) a comparable cut-off based on actual hours worked during the reference week. A criterion based on actual hours will generally yield a part-time rate higher than one based on usual hours, particularly if there are temporary reductions in working time as a result of holidays, illness, short-timing, etc. On the other hand, it is not entirely clear whether a classification based on the worker’s perception will necessarily yield estimates of part-time work that are higher or lower than one based on a fixed cut-off. In one country (France) which changed from 1981 to 1982 from a definition based on an actual hours cut-off (30 hours) to one based on the respondent’s perception, the latter criterion appeared to produce slightly higher estimates. Other factors as well affect the international comparability of the estimates. In some countries, the hours’ cut-off is based on hours for the main job, in others on total hours for all jobs. Certain countries do not consider unpaid family workers to be employed unless they work more than a minimum number of hours, so that such workers do not enter into counts for part-time workers. In order to facilitate analysis and comparisons over time, historical data for OECD members have been provided over as long a period as possible, often even before a country became a member of the Organisation. Information on the membership dates of all OECD countries can be found at OECD Ratification Dates. For detailed information on labour force surveys for all countries please see LFS_NOTES_SOURCES.