Part-time workers: in from the periphery The growth of part-time working represents one of the most dramatic structural changes in the labour market in recent decades: around 7 million people in Great Britain currently work part time. Once derided as the lowstatus, lowpaid end of the market, today many organisations employ workers who are willingly part lime in high-ranking non-manual occupations, according to the first instalment of an IRS survey of 94 employers. Our study looks at how and why employers use this form of working, finding that firms' demand for parttime workers to attain flexibilitv and retain skilled workers is reflected in high levels of demand from workers for part-time employment. Indeed, in the tight labour market of today, with employers increasingly anxious to retain key personnel, it is interesting to note that the wish to meet demand for part-time work from mothers returning to work is the most important reason why employers offer this form of employment.