Why is it significant?
A labour market with a wide and diverse range
of employment opportunities is one way to give business the flexibility that it
needs.
How does the UK perform?
There exists a wide range of employment opportunities in the UK: between 1997 and 2001 part time working is relatively unchanged and a lower proportion of total employed have been self-employed or temporary workers (Chart 2.5.1). Since 1992 the proportion of part-time and temporary employment has increased, but the incidence of self-employment fell (Chart 2.5.2). The proportion of people working part-time is relatively high in the UK, when compared with other EU Member States, whereas the incidence of self-employment is about average and that of temporary employment is below the European average (Chart 2.5.3).