1. 'Full-time/part-time status' is widely used to categorise persons or jobs in terms of the number of hours worked, or usually worked. This status is of interest in understanding the nature of employment, particularly when cross-classified with socio-economic characteristics.
2. Full-time/part-time status is available from a number of ABS household surveys, including: the monthly Labour Force Survey; various labour-related supplementary topics; various Special Supplementary Surveys, including the Survey of Employment Arrangements and Superannuation, and the Survey of Employment and Unemployment Patterns; and the Census of Population and Housing. Full-time/part-time status is also used in some ABS business surveys, including: the Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours and the Survey of Average Weekly Earnings.
3. Most ABS household surveys, including the Labour Force Survey, define full-time/part-time status of employed persons in terms of hours worked (in all jobs). In some cases, a subjective approach based on respondents' perception of their full-time or part-time status is used. This approach is most often used where information is sought about work that is not currently being undertaken, and where recall problems may be encountered using a more objective approach. A subjective approach is used to determine whether unemployed persons are looking for full-time or part-time work.
4. ABS business surveys classify employee jobs, rather than persons, as full-time or part-time. Classification of employee jobs as full-time is based on whether the usual hours worked are equal to, or greater than, what has been agreed to as being full-time under the relevant award or agreement (i.e. normal hours). If there are no agreed or award hours associated with the job, then it is classified on the basis of usual hours worked. The job is classified as full-time if the usual hours of work per week are 35 or more. Part-time jobs are those not defined as full-time.This standard does not cover data on full-time/part-time status collected in ABS business surveys.
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