- ageing of the population;
- increased participation of women in the workforce;
- changes in industry structure;
- greater flexibility in the workforce;
- technological advances
There has been a significant increase in part-time employment although 3/4 of the working population continue to work full-time.
Females account for 67.1% of the part-time employment growth over the last 25 years. The participation rate for women in the workforce has increased by 12.5% over this time. (Male participation has declined 7% over this time.)
There has been a large increase in the proportion of people aged 45 and over in the workforce. At the same time, teenagers have reduced their participation in the workforce and increased their participation in full-time education.