South Africa: Part time employment, total (% of total employment)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, South Africa's part time employment, total (% of total employment) fell 0.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 15.72% to 15.68%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.11 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.79 percentage points in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.86 percentage points in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 3% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, South Africa had the 29th highest value of the 34 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to South Africa in the 2024 ranking

• Viet Nam — 26th of 34: 19.5%
• Albania — 27th of 34: 18.67%
• Mali — 28th of 34: 17.74%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 30th of 34: 15.41%
• Romania — 31st of 34: 15.11%
• Bulgaria — 32nd of 34: 12.51%

What this measures

Part-time employment rate represents the percentage of employment that is part time. Part time employment in this series is based on a common definition of less than 35 actual weekly hours worked.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 25 values

Part time employment, total (% of total employment) in nearby economies

• Mali — 17.74% (2024)
• Mauritius — 35.11% (2024)
• Rwanda — 46.43% (2025)
• Seychelles — 10.04% (2025)

More social protection & labor data for South Africa

• Net migration — 146,370 (2025)
• Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 1,319 (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 24.5% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 29.12% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 26.83% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 55.4% (2025)
• Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 65.95% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is South Africa's part time employment, total (% of total employment)?

15.68% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 2.16 percentage points from 13.52% in 2000. The highest value was 20.59% in 2020 and the lowest 9.01% in 2007.

How does South Africa rank?

29th highest of 34 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in part time employment, total (% of total employment) unusual for South Africa?

In 2024, South Africa's part time employment, total (% of total employment) fell 0.04 percentage points on 2023 (from 15.72% to 15.68%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2023), the average change was +0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.11 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.TLF.PART.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Wages and Working Time Statistics database (COND), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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