An exploratory study attempted (1) to learn why some employers use permanent part time employment and others do not, (2) to suggest what the benefits and costs of part-time employment are, and (3) to describe which work settings are well-suited to part time employment and which are not. Data were obtained from personal interviews and mail questionnaires from sixty-eight private sector employers, both users and nonusers of permanent part-time employment. The occupations of workers studied were mainly clerical, operative, and laborer. The findings are that (1) the economic benefits and costs of part-time employment are not large and not central to the employers' decisions to use it, (2) employers do not have pejorative views about part-time workers but do see them as different from full-time workers, (3) the nature of the employer's business (work technology) strongly affects the usage of part-time employment, and (4) some dimensions of organizational climate distinguish users from nonusers. The findings indicate that the decision to use part-time employment is prompted by a scheduling problem and implementation depends on several factors, e.g., work technology, labor market conditions, and labor union influence. (The report includes thirty-one tables, ten charts, an appendix containing the interview and mail questionnaires and a bibliography.) (Author/EM)