Total part-time employees in the labour force

IBISWorld forecasts total part-time employees in the labour force to rise by 2.3% in 2024-25, to average 4.48 million people over the year. Australia's robust tourism sector is expected to boost demand for part-time jobs in the Accomodation and Food Services sector. However, inflationary pressures and rising costs have forced many small F&B businesses to close, restricting the growth of part-time employees. Moreover, more affordable child care under the 2024-25 Federal Budget is expected to continue placing more parents back into the workforce on a full-time basis, inhibiting the number of part-time employees.

Female part-time workers represent the majority of the part-time workforce as they are more likely to balance childcare and housework with paid work than men. However, the proportion of female participation in the labour force has shrunk over the past five years, with many women taking up full-time roles. According to the latest available data from the ABS, females accounted for 66.7% of the part-time employees in June 2024. As a result, part-time employment is typically driven by the growing number of females in the labour force and overall population growth.

The total number of part-time employees in the labour force has increased over the past five years. However, the percentage of part-time employees has declined, despite a long-term increasing trend. This temporary decreasing trend is primarily due to the effects of the pandemic, which propelled part-time rates to higher levels. As the economy gradually recovers, more people are slowly transitioning from part-time to full-time roles. To be considered a part-time employee, a person cannot work more than 35 hours per week. The percentage of employees working part-time has risen from 15.5% of total employment in 1978-79 to an estimated 31.0% in the current year. A shift towards the casualisation of the workforce, growing migration along with the increasing prevalence of the gig economy have accelerated this trend. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts total part-time employees in the labour force to increase by a compound annual rate of 2.3% over the five years through 2024-25.