Fewer hours worked and more part-time work in the EU27
ELTA
Employment in the EU27 and the euro area began to fall in the second quarter of 2008 as a result of the economic crisis. Between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009, employment1 dropped by 1.9 percent to 222.7 million persons in the EU27 and by 1.8 percent to 145.5 million in the euro area. However, the fall in employment was smaller than the contraction of economic activity (-4.9 percent GDP growth in the EU27 and -4.8 percent in the euro area in the same period). One of the reasons for this is the fact that employers can reduce the volume of hours worked and increase the use of part-time employment. This has been the case in the EU27 and in the euro area between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009. The analysis of the impact of the crisis on employment also shows that employees have been affected differently depending on their level of education.
These data, published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, come from a publication on the impact of the economic crisis on the labour market in the EU. This publication also includes information about people on temporary contracts and job opportunities during the crisis.
In the year up to the second quarter of 2009, the average number of actual hours worked per week by persons in full-time employment fell by 0.7 hours (from 41.0 hours per week to 40.3) in the EU27 and by 0.8 hours (from 40.8 to 40.0) in the euro area, while between the second quarters of 2007 and 2008 there had been a rise by 0.3 hours in both zones.
Between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009, the number of weekly working hours of a full-time worker went down in 24 out of the 27 Member States. The largest falls were registered in Estonia (-1.5 h), Austria, Slovakia and Finland (all -1.4 h), Germany and Sweden (both -1.3 h), Denmark (-1.2 h) and Slovenia (-1.1 h).
The share of part-time workers4 in total employment rose in the EU27 from 18.3 percent in the second quarter of 2008 to 18.8 percent in the second quarter of 2009, and from 19.6 percent to 20.0 percent in the euro area. Over the preceding year the share of part-time workers had remained stable in the EU27, while it had increased by 0.1 percentage point in the euro area.
Between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009, the share of part-time workers rose in 22 out of the 27 Member States. The highest increases were observed in Estonia (+5.3 percentage points to 11.7 percent), Ireland (+2.3 p.p. to 20.8 percent), Lithuania (+2.1 p.p. to 8.6 percent) and Slovakia (+1.8 p.p. to 4.0 percent).
A fall in employment was observed among persons with low and medium levels of education, while employment continued to rise among persons with a high level of education.
Between the second quarters of 2008 and 2009, employment among those with a low level of education (up to lower secondary education) fell by 4.9 percent in the EU27 and by 5.4 percent in the euro area. Among those with a medium level of education (upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education), employment fell by 2.6 percent in the EU27 and by 1.6 percent in the euro area. By contrast, employment of those with a high level of education (tertiary education) rose by 3.0 percent and 2.6 percent respectively.
For comparison, between the second quarters of 2007 and 2008, the change of employment among those with a low level of education was -1.8 percent in the EU27 and -1.6 percent in the euro area, among those with a medium level of education it was +1.5 percent in the EU27 and +1.3 percent in the euro area, and among those with high level of education it was +4.0 percent in the EU27 and +3.8 percent in the euro area.
2009-11-06
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