Determinants of Part-Time Employment in Rural Areas and Small Towns in Ontario, Canada

Abstract

This paper investigates the socio-demographic factors that determine stability in part-time employment, distinguishing between full-year part-time and part-year part-time work across varying geographic contexts in the province of Ontario. Logistic and logit regression models have been employed to analyze the microdata obtained from the Canadian Income Survey, 2020, for Rural Ontario, towns with population under 30,000, towns with population between 30,000 and 99,999 residents, as well as the overall province. The key explanatory variables include age, sex, educational attainment, and immigration status. The results indicate sharp disparities in the likelihood of sustaining part-time work throughout the year. Gender emerges as a strong predictor, with women significantly more likely to be engaged in full-year part-time employment. Age as a determinant suggests that mid -and late-career adults are less likely to sustain part-time work throughout the year than younger workers, which reflects transitions to full-time work in one’s prime years and a partial withdrawal from the work force at older ages. Education has a non-significant role in smaller communities. However, in larger communities, it is associated with lower odds of full-year part-time work. Immigration status has minimal influence in most settings, which highlights limited differentiation between immigrants and non-immigrants in part-time work stability. The study contributes to understanding the labour market segmentation in the province of Ontario, and the results point toward the need for policies that address gendered employment patterns and support workers in different stages of their lives, especially in rural and small towns.