Incidence of involuntary part time employment — Involuntary part-time in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Incidence of involuntary part time employment — Involuntary part-time was 2.53 Percentage of employment in 2025. ▲ Rising
Incidence of involuntary part time employment — Involuntary part-time in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1983–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employment.
Analysis
In 2025, incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 2.53 Percentage of employment.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 40.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 4.95 Percentage of employment in 2013 and was at its lowest, 1.37 Percentage of employment, in 1990.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 17th of 35 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Incidence of involuntary part time employment — Involuntary part-time in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 1.7 Percentage of employment | — |
| 1984 | 1.92 Percentage of employment | +12.9% |
| 1985 | 1.97 Percentage of employment | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 2.18 Percentage of employment | +10.4% |
| 1987 | 2.24 Percentage of employment | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 1.92 Percentage of employment | -14.2% |
| 1989 | 1.57 Percentage of employment | -18.6% |
| 1990 | 1.37 Percentage of employment | -12.4% |
| 1991 | 1.77 Percentage of employment | +29.2% |
| 1992 | 2.57 Percentage of employment | +44.8% |
| 1993 | 3.12 Percentage of employment | +21.5% |
| 1994 | 3.28 Percentage of employment | +5.2% |
| 1995 | 3.21 Percentage of employment | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 3.09 Percentage of employment | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 3.04 Percentage of employment | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 2.84 Percentage of employment | -6.6% |
| 1999 | 2.61 Percentage of employment | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 2.44 Percentage of employment | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 2.25 Percentage of employment | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 2.06 Percentage of employment | -8.6% |
| 2003 | 2.05 Percentage of employment | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 1.9 Percentage of employment | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 2.04 Percentage of employment | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 2.14 Percentage of employment | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 2.34 Percentage of employment | +9.4% |
| 2009 | 3.49 Percentage of employment | +49.3% |
| 2010 | 3.99 Percentage of employment | +14.2% |
| 2011 | 4.68 Percentage of employment | +17.4% |
| 2012 | 4.88 Percentage of employment | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 4.95 Percentage of employment | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 4.56 Percentage of employment | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 4.27 Percentage of employment | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 3.67 Percentage of employment | -14.2% |
| 2017 | 3.31 Percentage of employment | -9.8% |
| 2018 | 2.95 Percentage of employment | -10.7% |
| 2019 | 2.9 Percentage of employment | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 2.99 Percentage of employment | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 2.96 Percentage of employment | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 2.53 Percentage of employment | -14.5% |
| 2023 | 2.46 Percentage of employment | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 2.51 Percentage of employment | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 2.53 Percentage of employment | +0.8% |
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 2.53 Percentage of employment is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.26 Percentage of employment, 1.1× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's 2.53 Percentage of employment is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.53 Percentage of employment, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.93 Percentage of employment | 1.57 Percentage of employment | 2.24 Percentage of employment | 7 |
| 1990s | 2.69 Percentage of employment | 1.37 Percentage of employment | 3.28 Percentage of employment | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.3 Percentage of employment | 1.9 Percentage of employment | 3.49 Percentage of employment | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.02 Percentage of employment | 2.9 Percentage of employment | 4.95 Percentage of employment | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.66 Percentage of employment | 2.46 Percentage of employment | 2.99 Percentage of employment | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 2.53 Percentage of employment in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.95 Percentage of employment in 2013.
- What is the lowest incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.37 Percentage of employment in 1990.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 17th out of 35 countries with data for 2025.
- Is incidence of involuntary part time employment — involuntary part-time rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Incidence of involuntary part time employment — Involuntary part-time employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This dataset contains incidences and gender composition of part-time employment with standardised (15-24, 25-54, 55-64, 65+, total) and detailed age groups. Data are further broken down by professional status - employees, total employment. Part-time employment is based on national definitions. Detailed notes and sources can be found in LFS_NOTES_SOURCES. 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.