HomeReportEmployment types

Employment types

Part-time working, hours worked, second jobs, self-employment, temporary and zero hours work, public sector employment

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Part-time employment

In 2023, among North East workers aged 16 to 64:

  • About 225,000 were working part-time
  • this represented just over a quarter of the total, a slightly higher percentage than for England excluding London
  • this rate was the highest since 2019 but was lower than in the years from 2011 to 2017
  • about 74% of part-time employment was among female workers
  • however, the number of male part-time workers was at its second highest level since the start of comparable data in 2004
  • the North East rate of part-time working was the third highest among the eight core city areas
  • within the North East, the rate was highest among Newcastle residents and lowest among Sunderland residents
  • Newcastle workers had the highest rate of male part-time employment but the female rate was highest among South Tyneside resdients
  • at constituency area level, the overall rate was highest in Easington in County Durham and in Blyth Valley in Northumberland
  • for both female and male workers, the North East part-time employment rate was highest among the 16 to 19 age group
  • the female rate for 20 to 24 year olds was lower than for those aged 50 plus but the reverse was true for male workers.

Information about the reasons for part-time employment is only available for the nine broad English regions. In 2023, among part-time workers from the North East region (including Tees Valley):

  • Almost one in eight stated that they worked part-time because they could not find a full-time job
  • this was the highest proportion among the nine English regions 
  • the total citing this reason was higher than in 2022 but was lower than in any other year since 2008.

Hours worked and second jobs

Among North East resident workers in 2023:

  • Just over 54% worked 35 to 44 hours a week with just over 27% working 10 to 34 hours and just over 16% working 45 hours or more
  • the total working 35 to 44 hours was higher than in any year since the time series started in 2004
  • in contrast, the number working 45 hours plus was at its lowest in the period
  • among the eight core city areas, the North East had the third lowest percentage of workers in the longest hours category
  • within the North East, the percentage working 45 hours or more was highest among workers from Northumberland and County Durham
  • no North East local authority area had more than 2.5% of workers working fewer than 10 hours a week
  • male workers in the North East were more than twice as likely to work 45 hours and over than female workers. This was a similar pattern to that for England excluding London.

Information about workers with second jobs is only available for the broad English regions. In 2023, among workers in the North East region (including Tees Valley):

  • Just over 2.7% had a second job
  • this was the smallest percentage among the nine English regions, with the rate being highest in the South of England
  • female workers were more likely to have a second job than males in the North East but the gap had closed in the latest year.

Self-employment

In 2023, among North East workers aged 16 to 64:

  • About 10.4% classified themselves as self-employed
  • this was a higher rate than in 2022 but, prior to that date, the rate had decreased in four successive years
  • this was a similar pattern to the England excluding London rate, although that had not increased in the latest year
  • the North East rate of self-employment was the fourth lowest among the eight core city areas
  • within the North East, the rate was highest among workers from County Durham and Newcastle
  • at constituency area level, it was highest from workers from Bishop Auckland in County Durham
  • about 12.7% of male workers and 7.9% of female workers classified themselves as self-employed
  • the male rate was highest for County Durham workers but the female rate was highest for those from Newcastle
  • both female and male self-employment increased in the latest year but levels were still below those in 2019.

Temporary and zero hours employment

Official statistics about temporary employment and zero hours contracts are only available for broad English regions. In 2023, in the North East region (including Tees Valley):

  • About 5.3% of workers stated that they were in temporary employment
  • this was the highest percentage among the nine English regions
  • there were similar numbers of female and male temporary workers
  • the total number of temporary workers had been slightly higher in 2021 but, apart from this, the latest total was the highest since 2016
  • almost 30% of these North East workers stated that they were in temporary employment because they could not find a permanent job
  • this was the highest percentage among the nine English regions and was a slightly higher total than those stating that they did not want a permanent job

In the last quarter of 2023, in the North East region (including Tees Valley):

  • Almost 44,800 workers stated that they were on a zero hours contract
  • this was a lower total than in the third quarter of 2023 but a higher total than in the first two quarters of theyear
  • according to a four quarter average, about 3.4% of North East workers were on a zero hours contract in 2023
  • this was the joint second lowest regional percentage
  • however, all nine English regions had similar proportions of workers on zero hours contracts (3% to 4% in each case).

Public sector employment

In the North East in 2023:

  • Almost 30% of resident workers were employed in the public sector
  • this was a small increase on the 2022 percentage and was the highest percentage of any year since 2010
  • it was much higher than the England excluding London equivalent (just over 23%) and the gap had increased compared to previous years
  • females made up almost 66% of public sector workers, a proportion that was slightly higher than in 2022
  • the North East had the second largest percentage of workers in public sector employment among the eight core city areas
  • within North East local authority areas, North Tyneside had the highest percentage of workers employed in the public sector
  • at constituency area level, Tynesmouth had the largest proportion of resident  public sector workers
  • North Tyneside had the highest percentages of female and male workers within the public sector, with Gateshead (female workers) and Newcastle (male workers) having the second highest percentages.