Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Part time employment, total (% of total employment) was 41.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Part time employment, total in United Kingdom, 1983–2025
Source: Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO). Measured in % of total employment.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 41.5% for part time employment, total in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, part time employment, total in United Kingdom peaked at 48.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 35.9%, in 1983.
That places United Kingdom 21st out of 115 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % of total employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 35.9% | — |
| 1984 | 40.2% | +12.2% |
| 1985 | 38.0% | -5.4% |
| 1986 | 38.5% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 40.4% | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 37.7% | -6.6% |
| 1989 | 39.1% | +3.7% |
| 1990 | 40.3% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 39.1% | -2.9% |
| 1992 | 41.6% | +6.2% |
| 1993 | 41.6% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 41.7% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 41.6% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 41.5% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 43.0% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 42.0% | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 36.0% | -14.3% |
| 2000 | 36.8% | +2.3% |
| 2001 | 36.9% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 37.6% | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 37.9% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 42.4% | +11.6% |
| 2005 | 43.1% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 43.4% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 43.4% | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 44.2% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 44.6% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 45.4% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 44.9% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 44.5% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 45.0% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 43.6% | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 43.9% | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 44.3% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 43.4% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 43.1% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 45.5% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 48.4% | +6.4% |
| 2021 | 44.7% | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 42.4% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 42.7% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 41.5% | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 41.5% | +0.1% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 41.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 32.0%, 1.3× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 41.5% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 30.1%, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 38.6% | 35.9% | 40.4% | 7 |
| 1990s | 40.9% | 36.0% | 43.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.0% | 36.8% | 44.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.4% | 43.1% | 45.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.5% | 41.5% | 48.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is part time employment, total in United Kingdom?
- Part time employment, total in United Kingdom was 41.5% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 48.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest part time employment, total recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.9% in 1983.
- How does United Kingdom rank for part time employment, total?
- United Kingdom ranks 21st out of 115 countries with data for 2025.
- Is part time employment, total rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.