Part-time work is defined in different ways around the world, although it can basically be described as any form of employment that carries fewer hours per week than a full time job. The official description of the hours required for full time work differ around the world, although most definitions are around 35 to 40 hours per week for most of the year.
In contrast, part-time jobs (Nebentätigkeiten) are generally carried out for fewer hours per week, although the jobs themselves are still mostly permanent in their nature. While some part time positions are only available for part of the year, these are often referred to as temporary positions. There are a number of different industries who employ part time workers, including hospitality, retail, security, service, sales, and manufacturing. However, part time may be available in every industry, depending on the location of the business in question and the current economic climate.
Part time jobs are often associated with students and young people, who perform their employment while they are at school and college. However, there are people of all ages who are involved in part time employment, including many mums and a number of elderly members of the population. Perhaps the most popular part time positions are those that exist in the retail and hospitality sectors, due to the nature of these industries. For example, hospitality jobs, like those in bars, restaurants, and hotels, often need to be performed for a limited number of hours during the evening. For this reason, shifts are often only a few hours in duration, with more employees needed to work during these specific hours. This is also the case in other hospitality industries, where shift lengths and times are often set up in relation to meal times and popular leisure times.
Other than the hospitality industry, the retail sector is the other major employer of part time employees. There are many stores that are much busier during certain times of the day, which is the reason why people get employed on a part time basis. However, while the hospitality and retail sectors may be the biggest employers of part time workers, they can also be found across a number of other industries. Some examples include office workers, call centres, manufacturing factories, distribution centres, security, sales, and various freelance positions.