Pupils and students often work as shop assistant or the in catering industry

Shop assistant, shelf stacker and waitress are the most popular jobs among pupils and students. Boys most often work as shelf stackers in supermarkets, shop assistant is the most popular job among girls. Altogether, 871 thousand young pupils and students held small jobs to supplement their income in 2011.

Boys often work as shelf stackers

Shop assistant, shelf stacker and waiter/waitress are the most popular jobs among young people attending regular education. More than 68 thousand male pupils and students were working part-time as shelf stackers in supermarkets to earn an extra income in 2011; 36 thousand worked as shop assistants and 23 thousand delivered newspapers. With 80 thousand, shop assistant is by far the most popular job for female pupils and students. Waitress comes in second place with 54 thousand.

Top ten part-time jobs 15 to 25-year-old young people in education, 2011

Nearly six in ten worked less the twelve hours a week

More than 1.5 million young people attended some form of education in 2011, versus 1.2 million a decade ago. In 2011, 57 percent of pupils and students worked at least 1 hour a week. Nearly six in ten of them (some 495 thousand young people) were working less than twelve hours a week. More than one in ten were working 35 hours a week or more. The share of pupils and students working between 12 and 35 hours a week in part-time jobs has risen from 28 to 33 percent over the past decade. 

Working hours 15 to 25-year-old pupils and students

One in three have more working hours and permanent contracts

Information is available about the type of employment contract of young  working twelve hours a week or more. In 2011, 38 percent had permanent contracts, 31 percent had flexible contracts and 21 percent were standby and replacement workers.
The share of pupils and students who have permanent employment contracts of twelve hours a week or more was reduced by 16 percent in the period 2001-2011. The proportion of larger part-time jobs with flexible employment contracts and standby and replacement workers has grown over the same period.

Employment contracts 15 to 25-year-old pupils and students working twelve hours a week or more

Marjolein Korvorst