Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in South Africa

South Africa: Part time employment, total (% of total employment) was 15.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
15.7%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
87th
of 115 countries
All-time high
20.6%
in 2020
All-time low
9.0%
in 2007
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Part time employment, total in South Africa, 2000–2024

051015202000201220242000: 13.5 % of total employment2001: 12.9 % of total employment2002: 10.2 % of total employment2003: 11 % of total employment2004: 9.9 % of total employment2005: 10.5 % of total employment2006: 10.2 % of total employment2007: 9 % of total employment2008: 14.8 % of total employment2009: 16.1 % of total employment2010: 14.8 % of total employment2011: 13.7 % of total employment2012: 15.2 % of total employment2013: 15.5 % of total employment2014: 14.7 % of total employment2015: 14.9 % of total employment2016: 15.1 % of total employment2017: 15.8 % of total employment2018: 15.9 % of total employment2019: 15.4 % of total employment2020: 20.6 % of total employment2021: 16.7 % of total employment2022: 15.1 % of total employment2023: 15.7 % of total employment2024: 15.7 % of total employment

Source: Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total employment.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 15.7% for part time employment, total in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, part time employment, total in South Africa peaked at 20.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 9.0%, in 2007.

South Africa ranks 87th of 115 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in South Africa, 2000 to 2024.
Year % of total employment Change
2000 13.5% —
2001 12.9% -4.5%
2002 10.2% -21.0%
2003 11.0% +7.6%
2004 9.9% -9.7%
2005 10.5% +6.1%
2006 10.2% -3.3%
2007 9.0% -11.4%
2008 14.8% +64.3%
2009 16.1% +8.5%
2010 14.8% -7.6%
2011 13.7% -7.8%
2012 15.2% +11.1%
2013 15.5% +2.1%
2014 14.7% -5.3%
2015 14.9% +1.5%
2016 15.1% +1.1%
2017 15.8% +4.9%
2018 15.9% +0.5%
2019 15.4% -3.3%
2020 20.6% +33.9%
2021 16.7% -18.7%
2022 15.1% -9.8%
2023 15.7% +4.2%
2024 15.7% -0.3%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 15.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 22.8%, 69% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 15.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.2%, 60% of the median. (19 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2008 +64.3% 9.0% 14.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 11.8% 9.0% 16.1% 10
2010s 15.1% 13.7% 15.9% 10
2020s 16.8% 15.1% 20.6% 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 84 Mali 17.7% compare
  2. 85 Bangladesh 16.5% compare
  3. 86 Italy 15.7% compare
  4. 88 Egypt 15.4% compare
  5. 89 Bhutan 15.1% compare
  6. 90 Romania 15.1% compare

See the full ranking of 131 places →

More work & labour data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is part time employment, total in South Africa?
Part time employment, total in South Africa was 15.7% in 2024, according to Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest part time employment, total recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest part time employment, total recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 9.0% in 2007.
How does South Africa rank for part time employment, total?
South Africa ranks 87th out of 115 countries with data for 2024.
Is part time employment, total rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South Africa 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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Part time employment, total in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/part-time-employment-total-percent-of-total-employment/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Part time employment, total (% of total employment)
Unit
% of total employment
Source
Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
131 places, 2,655 data points, 1976–2025
Last refreshed

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.