Hours Worked
3.4.52 Although there is not a great deal of variation in hours worked across the regions, employees in South West England worked the shortest average (mean) week of any English region in 2010 - 32.8 hours a week compared to the English average of 33.4. This, however, is a reflection of the relatively large numbers of people working part-time in the region. For full-time workers, the mean hours worked by South West employees was 39.4, slightly more than the English average of 39.2 hours (see Figure 3.4.18). Part-time workers in the South West work the same number of hours a week as their counterparts elsewhere in the country - 18.1 hours for both the South West and English mean value.
Fig 3.4.18 Mean Total Hours Worked by Gender and Employment Type: April 2010 (workplace based estimate)
Mean Total Hours Worked by Gender and Employment Type: April 2010 (workplace based estimate) (Fig 3.4.18). Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE).
3.4.53 Figures for hours worked have shown some slight variation since 2000. However, between April 2009 and April 2010, the mean number of hours rose across the South West and the United Kingdom, following a fall from April 2008 to April 2009. For full-time workers, male paid hours rose by 0.3 hours and female hours by 0.1 hours a week. Combining full-time and part-time workers, the mean hours worked in the South West rose by 0.1 hours whilst the English average remained the same. Following a decline in the amount of overtime worked between 2008 and 2009, overtime rates picked up between 2009 and 2010. The reduction in working hours and overtime during the recession implies that employers may have been adapting to the downturn by reducing working hours and overtime of employees to avoid making redundancies. The recent increase in hours and overtime may suggest that employers are feeling more confident as a result of the recovery.
Part-time working
3.4.54 The South West region has the highest part-time working rate in the country. Between July 2009 and June 2010, 693,600 people worked part-time in the region – 28.8% of all of those in employment - compared to an English average of 25.6%. As Figure 3.4.19 shows, women are almost four times more likely to work part-time than men in South West England - a pattern that is reflected across the country. Many women choose to work flexibly to enable them to balance work with child (or other) care responsibilities.
3.4.55 Boddy at al (2006) reported that increasing the proportion of full-time to part-time employment would result in raised labour productivity levels. This is, however, more a reflection of the additional hours worked by full-time workers rather than full-time workers being more productive per hour worked than part-timers.
Figure 3.4.19 Part-time Employment Rate by Gender: Working Age July 2009 - June 2010
Part-time Employment Rate by Gender: Working Age July 2009 - June 2010 (Fig 3.4.19). Source: Annual Population Survey (NOMIS).
3.4.56 Part-time working patterns vary considerably across the sub-regions, for example 24.4% of those in employment work part-time in Swindon compared to 32.7% in Dorset. Bath and North East Somerset has the highest rate of male part-time working (17.2%), while the highest rate for females is experienced in Devon (53.0%).
Self-employment
3.4.57 There were 337,100 self-employed people in the South West in the year up to June 2010. This represents 14.0% of those in employment in the region - the second highest rate among the English regions after London and 0.9 percentage points above the English average.
3.4.58 A high level of self-employment can be a mixed blessing. On one hand, it can represent a strong culture of entrepreneurship. On the other, elevated levels of self-employment can be an indicator of economic stress, representing a lack of other employment opportunities. It is likely that high rates of self-employment represent stress in some parts of the SW region, while in others it indicates a strong sense of enterprise.
3.4.59 Male self-employment rates are higher than for females across all English regions. Although the male self-employment rate in the South West is around twice that of the female rate (see Figure 3.4.20), the South West region has the second highest percentage female self-employment rate (6.6% behind London’s 6.8%).
Figure 3.4.20 Self-Employment rate by Gender: Working Age July 2009 - June 2010
Self-Employment rate by Gender: Working Age July 2009 - June 2010 (Fig 3.4.20). Source: Annual Population Survey (ONS).
3.4.60 Sub-regional self-employment: Cornwall, Dorset and Devon have the highest rates of self-employment in the region, each recording rates of over 17% of those in employment. Self-employment rates tend to be higher in rural areas than urban areas due to the types of sectors, business sizes and employment opportunities present. Swindon, Plymouth and South Gloucestershire have the lowest rates of self-employment, in part reflecting the dominance of large firms in these areas.
3.4.61 The proportion of self-employed individuals as a percentage of the 16+ population is higher than the equivalent working age rate, indicating that retired people have a relatively high rate of self-employment since it can provide a flexible employment opportunity for those wanting to continue working.
