Slight decrease in part-time employment for women, not for men
In 2023, 26.0% of employees in Belgium worked part-time, a figure that remained almost stable compared to the previous year. Women especially work part-time: 40.2% of female employees work part-time, compared to 12.1% of male employees. For both men and women, four-fifths time employment is the most popular part-time working arrangement.
Thanks to questions on full-time and part-time work since the very beginning of Labour Force Survey in 1983, we have information available on the evolution of part-time work for more than 40 years. Therefore, we observe that the percentage of part-time employees has been gradually evolving from 8.3% in 1983 to more than 25% for the first time in 2009. In the following years, the figure fluctuated between 25% and 27%. Since 2020, a slight decrease seems to appear.
In the ‘80s, part-time work was very exceptional for men: less than 2% of male employees worked part-time, compared to 21% (in 1983) to 28% (in 1989) of women. In absolute numbers, it was then 36,000 men versus 197,000 women in 1983.
In the following years, the number of female part-time employees continued to rise, what is strongly related to the sharp increase in female labour market participation in the same period. Since the beginning of the years 2000, this increase slows down significantly. We gradually observe a smoothing of the curve of female part-time employees, which slightly decreases from year to year from 2013 onwards. In absolute figures, we still note an increase, again thanks to the still rising female labour market participation in the last ten years. In 2023, 846,000 female employees worked part-time, which is more than four times the number at the beginning of the measurement in 1983.
For men, we observe a different evolution. At the end of the ‘90s, the percentage of male part-time employees remains very low with 2% to 4%. Only since the years 2000, the figure started to rise from year to year, reaching 12.1% in 2023. Also in absolute figures, the number of male part-time employees increases. It evolved from 36,000 in the ‘80s to 263,000 in 2023.
However, men and women do not work part-time for the same reasons. While the main reason for women is the provision of child or dependent care, this same reason comes only in 5th position for men.
For female employees, the main reasons for working part-time are:
- Provision of child or dependent care (25.8%)
- Other personal reasons (25.7%)
- Cannot find full-time work or the job is not offered on a full-time basis (17.0%)
For male employees, the main reasons for working part-time are:
- Other personal reasons (24.1%)
- Cannot find full-time work or the job is not offered on a full-time basis (21.0%)
- In education or training (19.9%)
Part-time employment among employees, according to part-time working arrangements and gender (2017-2023)
| In percentage | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 (b) | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | ||||||||
| Full-time | 72.7% | 72.9% | 71.9% | 72.6% | 74.0% | 74.5% | 73.8% | |
| Part-time - 50 % | 10.6% | 10.6% | 10.1% | 10.0% | 9.5% | 10.0% | 9.3% | |
| Part-time - 4/5th | 12.8% | 12.6% | 13.1% | 12.6% | 12.3% | 11.6% | 12.1% | |
| Part-time - other | 3.9% | 4.0% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 4.3% | 4.0% | 6.6% | |
| Men | ||||||||
| Full-time | 88.6% | 89.1% | 88.4% | 87.4% | 89.5% | 89.5% | 87.9% | |
| Part-time - 50 % | 4.1% | 3.8% | 3.6% | 4.3% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 3.9% | |
| Part-time - 4/5th | 5.3% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 5.5% | 4.9% | 4.4% | 5.0% | |
| Part-time - other | 2.0% | 1.8% | 3.0% | 2.8% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 3.2% | |
| Women | ||||||||
| Full-time | 55.5% | 55.8% | 54.8% | 57.3% | 58.0% | 59.1% | 59.2% | |
| Part-time - 50 % | 17.8% | 17.7% | 16.8% | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.2% | 14.9% | |
| Part-time - 4/5th | 20.9% | 20.2% | 21.5% | 19.9% | 19.9% | 19.0% | 19.3% | |
| Part-time - other | 5.9% | 6.2% | 6.9% | 6.8% | 6.3% | 5.7% | 4.9% | |
| The data above comes from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). In this survey, people working part-time were asked about the volume of their part-time employment as a percentage of full-time employment. In this table, all percentages from 40 % to 60 % are considered half-time jobs (50 %) and all percentages from 70 % and 90 % as four-firths time jobs (80 %). The category "part-time - other" contains percentages below 40 %, percentages from 60 % and 70 % and percentages above 90 %. The Labour Force Survey has undergone considerable reform in 2017. From 2017 onward, we work with a rotating panel, we use different data collection methods, and the weighting method was substantially reviewed. This led to a break in our results. Consequently, the figures obtained with the old method cannot be compared to those obtained with the new method. |
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Percentage of part-time employees compared to the total of employees, per NACE-BEL-2008 section and gender (2023)
| Share of part-time employment | 2023 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Total | |||||||||||||
| A Agriculture, forestry and fishing | * | * | * | ||||||||||||
| B. Mining and quarrying | * | * | * | ||||||||||||
| C Manufacturing | 8.2% | 32.2% | 14.1% | ||||||||||||
| D Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply | * | * | * | ||||||||||||
| E Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | * | * | * | ||||||||||||
| F Construction | 4.9% | 21.0% | 6.7% | ||||||||||||
| G Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 16.0% | 44.5% | 29.3% | ||||||||||||
| H Transportation and storage | 8.7% | 27.5% | 12.7% | ||||||||||||
| I Accommodation and food service activities | 38.7% | 57.4% | 48.3% | ||||||||||||
| J Information and communication | 6.6% | 21.6% | 10.9% | ||||||||||||
| K Financial and insurance activities | * | 28.9% | 17.7% | ||||||||||||
| L Real estate activities | * | * | * | ||||||||||||
| M Professional, scientific and technical activities | 7.3% | 30.3% | 18.7% | ||||||||||||
| N Administrative and support service activities | 18.3% | 51.2% | 38.5% | ||||||||||||
| O Public administration and defence; compulsory social security | 6.9% | 28.3% | 17.9% | ||||||||||||
| P Education | 21.5% | 34.1% | 30.5% | ||||||||||||
| Q Human health and social work activities | 24.0% | 53.0% | 47.3% | ||||||||||||
| R Arts, entertainment and recreation | 26.2% | 47.5% | 36.6% | ||||||||||||
| S Other service activities | 22.3% | 44.2% | 34.5% | ||||||||||||
| T Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use * | * | * | * | ||||||||||||
| U Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies | * | * | * | ||||||||||||
| Total | 12.1% | 40.2% | 26.0% | ||||||||||||
| * classification too detailed The Labour Force Survey has undergone considerable reform in 2017. From 2017 onward, we work with a rotating panel, we use different data collection methods, and the weighting method was substantially reviewed. This led to a break in our results. Consequently, the figures obtained with the old method cannot be compared to those obtained with the new method. (b) Break in the results in 2021 due to the revision of the questionnaire and the change in the ILO definitions of unemployment and employment. |
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Part-time employment per reason and gender (2017-2023)
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | Total | |
| (Eearly) retirement | 5.3% | 1.2% | 2.1% | 4.2% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 5.4% | 0.8% | 1.8% | 4.6% | 1.1% | 1.9% |
| Cannot find full-time employment | 12.7% | 6.4% | 7.8% | 11.1% | 5.6% | 6.8% | 10.2% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 6.5% | 4.3% | 4.8% |
| Switched from full-time to part-time employment for economic reasons | 1.8% | 0.6% | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 0.4% | 0.6% | 1.9% | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| In addition to other part-time employment | 5.5% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 5.0% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 5.7% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 6.6% | 3.2% | 4.0% |
| Combination with training | 8.4% | 3.1% | 4.2% | 8.0% | 3.3% | 4.3% | 8.9% | 3.9% | 4.9% | 8.9% | 4.7% | 5.7% |
| Medical reason (work incapacity) | 7.1% | 6.1% | 6.3% | 8.0% | 7.1% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 6.8% | 7.2% | 10.0% | 7.5% | 8.1% |
| Professional reasons (working atmosphere or conditions, stress, harassment...) | 1.0% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2.2% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 0.8% | 0.9% |
| Provision of child and dependant care | 6.2% | 24.6% | 20.6% | 7.9% | 24.9% | 21.4% | 7.6% | 25.0% | 21.4% | 7.6% | 24.0% | 20.2% |
| Other personal or family-related reasons | 21.8% | 25.3% | 24.6% | 19.8% | 20.4% | 20.3% | 13.3% | 20.2% | 18.7% | 11.3% | 20.2% | 18.1% |
| Does not want a full-time job | 7.3% | 8.2% | 8.0% | 6.5% | 9.6% | 9.0% | 7.6% | 10.3% | 9.8% | 6.5% | 9.4% | 8.7% |
| The desired job is only offered on a part-time basis | 16.2% | 16.7% | 16.6% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 16.5% | 17.6% | 17.8% | 17.8% | 21.0% | 17.2% | 18.1% |
| Other reason | 6.7% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 11.4% | 6.2% | 7.3% | 11.8% | 6.0% | 7.2% | 14.1% | 6.8% | 8.5% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| The Labour Force Survey has undergone considerable reform in 2017. From 2017 onward, we work with a rotating panel, we use different data collection methods, and the weighting method was substantially reviewed. This led to a break in our results. Consequently, the figures obtained with the old method cannot be compared to those obtained with the new method. | ||||||||||||
| 2021 (b) | 2022 | 2023 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | Total | |
| You cannot find a full-time job or your job is not offered on a full-time basis | 22.5% | 21.7% | 21.9% | 21.6% | 17.8% | 18.6% | 21.0% | 17.0% | 17.9% |
| You are in education or training | 15.9% | 7.0% | 9.0% | 17.9% | 7.9% | 10.2% | 19.9% | 8.5% | 11.2% |
| Because of an illness or incapacity for work | 8.0% | 5.9% | 6.4% | 8.9% | 6.6% | 7.1% | 8.7% | 6.9% | 7.3% |
| Care for own children or other dependent relatives | 10.3% | 24.6% | 21.4% | 9.7% | 26.0% | 22.2% | 10.9% | 25.8% | 22.3% |
| Other family reasons | 6.3% | 12.2% | 10.9% | 5.0% | 11.7% | 10.2% | 4.1% | 11.2% | 9.5% |
| Other personal reasons | 25.4% | 24.1% | 24.4% | 27.9% | 25.5% | 26.1% | 24.1% | 25.7% | 25.3% |
| Other reason | 11.6% | 4.5% | 6.0% | 9.0% | 4.6% | 5.6% | 11.2% | 4.9% | 6.4% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| (b) Break in the results in 2021 due to the revision of the questionnaire and the change in the ILO definitions of unemployment and employment. | |||||||||
Labour force survey (LFS)
Purpose and short description
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is a socio-economic household sample survey. Its main objective is to classify the working age population (15 and older) into three groups (employed, unemployed and inactive persons) and to provide descriptive and explanatory data on every category. This survey is also carried out in the other EU Member States and is coordinated by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In Belgium, the LFS is organised by Statbel. The objective is to obtain comparable information at European level, in particular as regards employment and unemployment rates as defined by the International Labour Office (ILO), but also to collect and disseminate data that are otherwise not available, for example about the mobility of workers, the reasons for working part-time, the various forms of part-time employment, the occupation, the educational level of the working age population, ... .
Survey population
Members of private households aged 15 or older.
Sample frame
Demographic data from the National Register.
Data collection method and sample size
Data are collected through face-to-face interviews. Since 2017, there have been three (shorter) follow-up surveys to which households respond online or by telephone.
Households with only inactive persons older than 64 can also be interviewed by telephone.
Every year, around 47,000 households receive a letter asking them to take part in this survey.
Response rate
The response rate is above 75%.
Periodicity
Quarterly
Release calendar
Results availability: around 3 months after the end of the reference period.
Forms
- Labour Force Survey 2020 (PDF, 541 Kb)
- Labour Force Survey 2021 (PDF, 1 Mb)
Definitions
Unemployed (ILO): According to the criteria of the International Labour Office, the unemployed include all people aged 15 years and over who: a) were without work during the reference week b) were available for work, i.e. were available for paid employment or self-employment within two weeks after the reference week c) were actively seeking work, i.e. had taken specific steps during the last four weeks including the reference week to seek paid employment or self-employment, or who had found a job to start within a maximum period of three months.
Employed population (ILO): The employed comprise all people aged 15 and over who during the reference week performed some work for at least one hour for wage or salary, or for profit, or who had a job but were temporarily absent. For example, one can be temporarily absent for holidays, illness, technical or economic reasons (temporary unemployment),....Family workers are also included in the category ‘employed’. The employed are divided into three groups according to their professional status:
Employees: Employees comprise all persons aged 15 and over who during the reference period performed some work (with or without a formal contract) for at least one hour for wage or salary, or who were temporarily not at work during the reference period (because of illness, maternity leave, holidays, social conflict, weather conditions or other reasons) and had a formal attachment to their job.
Non-employees: Non-employees comprise all persons who do not work for an employer and who during the reference week performed some work for at least one hour for profit or who were temporarily not at work during the reference period. This includes self-employed people (without employees) and employers (with employees) and unpaid workers.
Labour force: The labour force or economically active population (15 years and older) consists of people with an occupation (persons employed) and the unemployed.
Unemployment rate: The unemployment rate represents the share of unemployed people in the labour force (employed + unemployed) aged 15 to 64.
Employment rate: The employment rate represents the share of employed people in a specific age group (15-64 years old, 20-64 years old,...).
Economic activity rate: The economic activity rate represents the share of the labour force (employed and unemployed) in the population aged 15 to 64.
Education level (3 classes): Low-skilled people are people who have at most a diploma of lower secondary education. Medium-skilled people are people who obtained a diploma of upper secondary education but not of higher education. Highly-skilled people have a diploma of higher education.
Metadata
Survey methodology
- Modifications to the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in 2021
- LFS: Methodological improvements to the Labour Force Survey 2017 (PDF, 99 Kb)
- LFS: Presentation of the survey until 2016 (NL-FR)
- LFS: Presentation of the survey from 2017 (NL-FR)