The Association Between Part-time Employment and Social Assistance Recipiency in Norway

This article argues that part-time employment has several features of precarity tied to both institutional and individual factors. The consequences can be increased inequality, insecurity, and instability. It studies the relationship between part-time employment for individuals with weak labor market attachment, with periods of social assistance reception in Norway. The article used Norwegian register data to analyze this relationship. Findings show that individuals with a low employment percentage have significantly longer social assistance recipiency compared to those who work full-time, prior to social assistance reception. The empirical evidence supports an individual risk from part-time employment in this group, as well as the claim that non-standard employment is associated with increased vulnerability for individuals with weak labor market attachment. The findings relate to theoretical framework regarding the precarity and mechanisms of the labor market on several aspects, especially how institutional and individual elements link part-time employment to economic and social insecurity.