Is part-time work a good or bad opportunity for people with disabilities? A European analysis.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this article is to analyse the incidence of part-time employment among people with disabilities within a European context. Particular attention is paid to the type of part-time employment (voluntary vs. involuntary) and the levels of job satisfaction that people with disabilities report.

METHOD

Using data from the European Community Household Panel for the period 1995-2001, we estimate part-time rates, preferences and levels of job satisfaction for people with and without disabilities for 13 European countries.

RESULTS

The results show that a higher number of people with disabilities work part-time, compared to non-disabled workers. This is mainly due to disabled part-time workers having a much higher preference for part-time working than people without disability. This finding is corroborated when we analyse the levels of job satisfaction for disabled part-time workers.

CONCLUSIONS

Part-time employment becomes a relevant instrument for policy makers and employers to improve the social inclusion, income and labour conditions of the people with disabilities because it allows these people to achieve a much better balance between their personal and health needs and working life.