For the first time in twenty years, the Workplace
Relations Commission (“WRC”) has updated the Code of Practice on Access to
Part-Time Working (the “Code”). The Code has
the stated aim of expanding flexible working options and increasing
labour‑market participation, particularly amongst parents,
carers, older employees and students.
Part-time work sits alongside other flexible working
arrangements, including job sharing, compressed hours and remote
working, all of which have become even more prevalent in recent
years as the COVID‑19 pandemic reshaped how and where people
work.
Part‑time workers continue to make up a substantial
portion of the Irish labour market, with 20.6% of the workforce
engaged on a part‑time basis. As 67% of part-time workers are
female, the Code also has the potential to advance gender equality
in the workplace and support greater female participation across
all levels of the labour market.
