The National Statistics Office recently published updated data for part-time employment covering a 20-year span. The fact that the NSO and the Employment and Training Corporation have updated this data is positive in itself. However, this is not the issue.

The issue is rather the way in which part-time employment has developed in this country, which leads one to describe it as a "phenomenon". The data is split into two: those who hold a part-time job in conjunction with their full-time occupation and those who hold a part-time job as their primary occupation.

These statistics tell a very interesting story indeed. From an economic viewpoint, one starts to appreciate that part-time employment can no longer be taken as the Cinderella of employment which everyone discarded if he or she had the opportunity to do so, because we are speaking of substantial numbers.

This also implies that a number of people today have an independent source of income that previously was not there, enabling them to take a number of independent purchasing decisions, while another significant number are managing to top up their income quite significantly, enhancing their purchasing power.

One must also appreciate that declared part-time employment was lower than actually the case because some of it formed part of the informal economy. In fact the increase in declared part-time employment following the introduction of VAT was fairly dramatic, especially in the case of males whose part-time job was their secondary occupation.

However, these increases were maintained in the following years, indicating a buoyant economy. Even in 2002 and 2003, when the economy slowed down as a result of international pressures, the increase in part-time employment was sustained.

Another aspect that could have contributed to the increase in part-time employment is the granting of additional rights to employees whose part-time job is their primary occupation, such as the right to leave, sick leave, bonuses, etc. This has encouraged part-time workers to seek to declare their working status to safeguard their rights.

This has meant that today we have an increasing number of people whose employment is regulated by law.

There is also the social aspect of part-time employment. Part-time employment is quite obviously a softer option and even a much more convenient option for women who would like to remain in a job after maternity. Thus the number of persons available to take up part-time employment has increased and employers have responded favourably to such an increase in supply.

With the expansion of the services sector of the economy, it is not surprising that the major increase in part-time employment has happened in this sector. Moreover, this sector lends itself to more flexible working patterns that fit in with the personal requirements of the employee. In fact, the increase in the number of part-timers working in this sector has increased by 607 per cent and accounts for 83 per cent of the total increase in part-time employment.

The increase in part-time employment is a phenomenon that cannot be ignored. It has contributed to the creation of more wealth in the country and has pushed up the participation rate in the labour market. It should therefore continue to be analysed more carefully by the policy-makers and the social partners, as it should not be seen as an instrument to nibble away workers' rights, but as means to achieve more flexibility in one's enterprise.