COVID: from full-time to part-time employment

September’s labour force figures show a shift from full-time to part-time employment.

In September there were just over 3 million people (outside Victoria), working part-time, compared with the 2.98m in March.

Overall, we have recovered approximately 75% of the hours lost due to the pandemic, however, unsurprisingly, due to the extended lock-down, Victoria has not yet recovered.

Hours worked per capita is one of the ways to measure the health of the labour force. In September, hours worked increased by 0.5%, while employment decreased by 0.2%. Victoria again experienced a decrease in hours worked (down 2.1%).

In seasonally adjusted terms, in September 2020:

• Full-time employment decreased by 20,100 people, and part-time employment decreased by 9,400 people.
• Over the year to September 2020, full-time employment decreased by 301,700 people and part-time employment decreased by 56,700 people.

In September, (if we exclude Victoria), we can see some employment bounce-back however, similar to previous recessions, we are seeing a lower number of adults working full-time.