Advantages and disadvantages of undergraduates undertaking part-time employment are indicated from the western literature, together with discussion of the nature, amount and effects of part-time employment. A study is reported of a university in China, using a cross-sectional survey which investigates the characteristics of undergraduates holding a part-time job, the reasons for taking part-time jobs, the positive and negative impacts of taking part-time jobs, the balance between positive and negative impacts, and the characteristics of the employment that undergraduates undertake. Important differences are reported between findings of western studies and those of the university in China. Implications are drawn for further research and development.