Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in Canada
Canada: Part time employment, total (% of total employment) was 42.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Part time employment, total in Canada, 1976–2025
Source: Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total employment.
Analysis
The most recent figure for part time employment, total in Canada is 42.6%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, part time employment, total in Canada peaked at 44.5% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 30.2%, in 1979.
Canada ranks 19th of 115 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in Canada, year by year
| Year | % of total employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 34.8% | — |
| 1977 | 34.1% | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 30.9% | -9.3% |
| 1979 | 30.2% | -2.2% |
| 1980 | 33.6% | +11.3% |
| 1981 | 37.7% | +12.1% |
| 1982 | 36.9% | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 36.2% | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 35.7% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 35.7% | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 35.6% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 38.2% | +7.3% |
| 1988 | 35.1% | -8.3% |
| 1989 | 31.4% | -10.4% |
| 1990 | 33.3% | +6.0% |
| 1991 | 36.9% | +10.8% |
| 1992 | 40.6% | +9.9% |
| 1993 | 39.1% | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 37.1% | -5.1% |
| 1995 | 38.3% | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 37.0% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 36.9% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 38.4% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 37.1% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 35.2% | -5.1% |
| 2001 | 38.7% | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 39.5% | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 42.9% | +8.4% |
| 2004 | 41.1% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 39.8% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 41.5% | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 39.9% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 41.1% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 44.5% | +8.1% |
| 2010 | 42.8% | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 42.1% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 40.5% | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 41.8% | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 44.5% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 42.2% | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 42.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 43.3% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 40.7% | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 43.8% | +7.6% |
| 2020 | 43.4% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 40.8% | -5.9% |
| 2022 | 41.8% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 40.3% | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 40.3% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 42.6% | +5.7% |
Canada compared with similar countries
- Canada's 42.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 32.0%, 1.3× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 32.5% | 30.2% | 34.8% | 4 |
| 1980s | 35.6% | 31.4% | 38.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.5% | 33.3% | 40.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.4% | 35.2% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.4% | 40.5% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.6% | 40.3% | 43.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More work & labour data for Canada
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.3281 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.3334 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6552 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,234 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,715 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 26,798 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 26,814 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 53,612 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is part time employment, total in Canada?
- Part time employment, total in Canada was 42.6% in 2025, according to Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest part time employment, total recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 44.5% in 2014.
- What is the lowest part time employment, total recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.2% in 1979.
- How does Canada rank for part time employment, total?
- Canada ranks 19th out of 115 countries with data for 2025.
- Is part time employment, total rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Part time employment, total (% of total employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Part-time employment rate represents the percentage of employment that is part time. Part time employment in this series is based on a common definition of less than 35 actual weekly hours worked.