Spatial aspects of the growth of part-time employment in Britain

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Abstract
Townsend A. (1986) Spatial aspects of the growth of part-time employment in Britain, Reg. Studies 20, 313–330. Part-time employment has a large and growing share of total employment in Britain. It is substituting for the growth of full-time jobs and is the principal employment opportunity for women with children. Its distinct spatial pattern of expansion, 1971–81, is notable for including peripheral regions such as Wales and the South West. As most of the growth is in services it proves best analysed in relation to total population growth, supplemented by shift-share analysis of employment. In the public sector a broad relationship to both population and government expenditure trends is evident. Part-time employment must be incorporated in the study of established employment trends, such as urban-rural shift. Demand for part-time workers is sufficient to explain the regional convergence of female activity rates. Demand is for relatively cheap labour.