How Part-Time Rates Changed in the Third Quarter

From July to September, according to the microcensus labor force survey, 33,400 fewer women worked part-time and 38,600 more worked full-time than in the previous year's quarter. The women's part-time rate fell by 1.7 percentage points to 49.1 percent, as reported by Statistics Austria. This is partly due to the decline in employment in retail - with a high part-time rate - and the increase in employment in public administration, which predominantly offers full-time positions.

Part-time rate for men and women changed

The part-time rate for men, on the other hand, rose by 0.6 percentage points to 14 percent in the third quarter compared to the same quarter last year, according to a recent release from Statistics Austria. For comparison: 20 years ago, in the 3rd quarter of 2005, the part-time rate was 39.3 percent for women and 6.2 percent for men.

Austria recently recorded the third-highest part-time rate among all 27 EU countries, behind the Netherlands and Germany. The debate around part-time work has flared up several times in recent years. The ÖVP criticizes the high part-time rate in light of the skilled labor shortage and points to the negative economic effects and financial losses for social security. The then Minister of Labor Martin Kocher (ÖVP) pushed at the beginning of 2023 to make part-time work less attractive for young people without caregiving responsibilities or health restrictions. In 2024, the ÖVP introduced a full-time bonus. In the summer of 2025, ÖVP Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer reignited the political and media debate with his comment on a "lifestyle part-time wave."

The SPÖ, trade unions, and Greens cite caregiving and nursing work as the main reasons for part-time work. The FPÖ and NEOS wish for more incentives for full-time work.

Labor force participation of women aged 55 to 64

There is a significant increase in labor force participation among women aged 55 to 64, which is mainly related to the gradual increase in the retirement age. This year, from July to September, 56.8 percent of women in this age group were employed, an increase of 4.7 percentage points compared to the same quarter last year. "In international comparison, the labor force participation of older people in Austria is still below average," said the Director General of Statistics Austria, Manuela Lenk.

(APA/Red)

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