Types of Employment (Edexcel IGCSE Business)
Exam board Pearson Edexcel · IGCSEUpdated 2025-06-23
Comparing types of employment
Spec point —
2.2.1· Full-time, part-time, Job share, casual/seasonal/temporary
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Businesses can employ workers on a variety of employment contacts
- Part-time employment is often considered to be between 1 and 30 hours a week
- Full-time employees will usually work 35+ hours a week
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Flexible working is the development of a culture where workers are able to work in a range of employment patterns (part-time, temporary or zero hours contracts, job-sharing, work from home, etc)
Comparing types of employment
| Type of employment | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time | - Full-time employment is when an employee works the total number of hours considered by the company as full-time in a week - Full time employees work more hours in a company than part-time employees | - E.g. Under UK labour law, a full-time employee works 35 hours a week or more |
| Part-time | - Someone who works part-time may only work two or three days a week - Part-time employment may be more flexible and can be adjusted subject to employee availability and employer requirements | - E.g. Part-time employees at the US company Costco are required to work a minimum of 24 hours to keep their employee benefits |
| Job sharing | - Job sharing is the process of breaking up a role into two part-time contracts (in rare cases, the job share may occur between more than two workers) | - E.g. Split-shift job shares have two members of staff working on the same day but at different times. Worker A may work 8 a.m.–1 p.m., and worker B works 1 p.m.–6 p.m |
| Temporary and casual employment | - Someone who works temporarily shows up for work whenever the business needs them - This may be seasonal (summer or winter) or for a determined length of time | - E.g. A ski instructor working for two months during a ski season at a resort in the French Alps |
Exam Hint In the exam, you may be asked to 'define' a type of employment. Remember that these questions are assessing your knowledge. Make sure that your definitions are precise and accurate
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