Shifting to Part-Time Work

Part-time work refers to work in which an employee permanently works shorter hours than regular working hours. A part-time employment relationship may be stablished by agreement between the employer and the employee or by the employer unilaterally changing the conditions of the employment relationship. Reduction to part-time employment refers to a permanent reduction in daily or weekly working hours.

In order for an employer to shift an employee to part-time, the employer must have financial or production-related grounds for termination due to which the available work has substantially and permanently been reduced. Unilateral reduction of the employment relationship to part-time must be carried out in compliance with the notice period. The reduction to part-time employment takes effect after the notice period.

If an employer employs at least 20 employees, shifting to part-time work must be dealt with through the cooperation procedure. For information on co-operation procedures in respect of shifting to part-time work, see [Co-Operation Negotiation Obligation in Reducing the Use of Personnel]⁠.

The employer has an obligation to offer additional work to a part-time employee, if the employer requires more work force and the part-time employee is suitable for the work in question. The employer is also under an obligation to provide reasonable training if such would enable the part-time employee to perform the available work. The right of a part-time worker takes precedence over the right of redundant workers to come back to work. If the need for additional work force is only temporary, the employer is not under an obligation to provide full-time employment to the part-time employee.

In addition the employer has an obligation to provide information on vacancies in accordance with practice generally adopted in the enterprise or at workplace in order to ensure that part-time employees have the same opportunity for applying for the same positions as  full-time workers.