Among the 42 million part-time workers in the EU27 in 2011, 8.6 million wished to work more hours, were available to do so and can therefore be considered to be underemployed. These accounted for 20.5% of part-time workers and 4.0% of total employment. In 2010, the corresponding figures were very similar: 41.3 million persons worked part time and 8.5 million were underemployed.

The largest proportions of people wishing to work more hours and available to do so among part-time workers were found in Greece (58%), Latvia (57%), Spain (49%) and Cyprus (42%), and these are Member States where the shares of employed persons working part-time are relatively low. On the other hand, the smallest proportion was found in the Netherlands and Belgium (both 3%), where part-time working is common, followed by the Czech Republic (10%) and Luxembourg (9%).

This information is published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, based on the 2011 results of the European Labour Force Survey. The three indicators presented in this News Release provide an enhanced and richer picture of the labour market, by supplementing the existing information which classifies people as employed, unemployed or economically inactive.

A potential additional labour force of almost 11 million persons in the EU27

Among the economically inactive population (those persons neither employed nor unemployed), there were 8.6 million persons aged 15 to 74 available to work, but not seeking and 2.4 million seeking work, but not available in the EU27 in 2011, compared with 8.2 million and 2.4 million respectively in 2010. While not part of the economically active population, both groups have a certain attachment to the labour market. Together these two groups constitute a potential additional labour force of 10.9 million people. In the EU27 these two groups were equivalent to 4.6% of the current labour force, a percentage varying between Member States, from 1.4% in the Czech Republic to 12.1% in Italy.