Part-time work is very common among women in Switzerland. In 2020, 79% of working women aged 15 to 64 with children under 15 worked part-time.
A large part of them has an occupancy rate of between 20 and 69%. The proportion of men working part-time is 13%.
One in five working women, aged 15 to 64 and with children of preschool or school age, works full time, according to a press release from the Federal Statistics Office on Monday.
In comparison, half of those without children under the age of 15 work full-time and nearly a third have an employment rate of less than 70%.
More common only in the Netherlands
In comparison with EU countries, the percentages of people working part-time, whether or not they have children, are only higher in the Netherlands than in Switzerland.
In Switzerland and several other countries – Germany, Austria, Czechia, Luxembourg, Belgium and Ireland – women most frequently cite as the main reason for their part-time work care for disabled adults or children as well as other family reasons. or personal.
Involuntary part-time
On the other hand, no trend emerges among men. Depending on the country, the answer most often given is “full-time work not found” or the unspecified category “other”.
In Switzerland, the proportion of involuntary part-timers is among the lowest in Europe: regardless of gender, 8% of active part-timers are in this situation against their will.