INWORK Policy Brief No. 7

The Diversity of "Marginal" Part-Time Employment

The phenomenon of "marginal" part-time employment is characterized by very short hours of work. Although very short hours is the key characteristic of this form of employment (e.g., less than 15 hours a week or less than 20 hours per week), it is a complex continuum. and the working time arrangements that are associated with it can take diverse forms with a range of defining attributes. This policy brief intends to facilitate a better understanding of this broad spectrum of working time arrangements and provide some suggestions regarding how to improve the quality of such short-hours part-time work.