A Part-Time Recovery Ctd.

More from Sylvain:

The part-time rate in February 2011 -  19.7% of the workforce working part-time – fell just short of the highest levels ever recorded in July and August 2010.

Not only has part-time work risen in the recession and recovery, it has been clearly driven by the lack of full-time jobs.

265,900 non-seasonally adjusted part time jobs were added to the economy between February 2008 and February 2011. Out of that total, the number of Canadians working part-time on a voluntary basis decreased by 35,400.  On the other hand, the number of Canadians working part-time because of business conditions or because they could not find full-time work increased dramatically from 668,300 in February 2008 to 969,700 in February 2011, This growth in involuntary part-time work represents an increase of almost 50% over 3 years. In fact, part-time job growth in the last 3 years can be entirely attributed to the growth in involuntary part-time work.

3 comments

  • A question for Sylvain:
    If you add close to 1 million involuntary part-timers to the 1.4 million unemployed, you get more than the 11.7% real (extended) unemployment rate, without considering discouraged workers, etc. Presumably they are discounting involuntary part-timers in calculating the extended unemployment rate? Can you confirm?

  • In calculation of real extended unemployment rate with involuntary part timers and discouraged workers, the denominator is adjusted accordingly and increases the size of the labour force. As a result, the rate is lower than what you estimated

  • The extended rate is based on the hours gap between the hours of part-timers and the full time jobs they want ie it is not a simple total of unemployed and underemployed

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