FULL-TIME WORKER

A worker whose hours of work represent full-time employment according to the standards of his or her employer.

"The growth of temporary or ‘flexible' jobs speaks to the increased insecurity in today's job market and the consequences of this are serious. Because so many full-time workers have been replaced by ‘flexible' workers, today's post-secondary graduates are people who assume that employers have a limited commitment to them, and they in turn have a limited commitment to their employers."
(Cruikshank, J., Lifelong Learning and the Changing Nature of Work, Canadian Association for the Study of Adult Education, University of Regina, 2003, visited 2009-07-20)

"Full-time employees are the most likely to develop company loyalty, and to feel a sense of ownership in the business. This can result in a committed, hardworking workforce, willing to go through any tough times the business may encounter. Full-timers also tend to hold only one job, giving you more control over their time and efforts. For many employers, full-time employees provide a sense of security that someone could manage things in their absence. On the other hand, for some employers, the advantages of full-time employees are outweighed by the burdens involved in hiring and maintaining such a staff."
(Findlaw Inc., Staffing: Full- and Part-time Employees, 2000, visited 2009-07-20)

Full-time workers are those who work the full number of scheduled hours of work for their occupational group, normally as defined in their collective agreement. These workers may be either employees or self-employed workers.

There is no official ILO definition of full-time work, largely because it varies from economy to economy. However, while a 35- to 40-hour work week is the probable cut-off standard for full-time work for many industries and workplaces throughout much of the world, national statistical definitions for full-time work often refer to somewhere between 30 and 37 hours. Thus, people who work 35 hours or more per week may be considered "full-time workers," and those working less than 35 hours, "part-time workers."
(adapted from the International Labour Organization (ILO), Key Indicators of the Labour Market, visited 2009-07-20)