More Americans are working part-time by choice…

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲

I came across this fascinating article from the team at Morning Brew about a recent study that showed 1.2 million Americans joined the part-time workforce in December and January.

Over a million Americans joined the part-time workforce in December and January—and most of them chose the temporary grind over a full-time hustle, according to Labor Department data analyzed by the WSJ.

Key word: chose. As of last month, over 22 million part-timers were working fewer than 35 hours per week voluntarily, compared to just 4 million that wanted full-time hours and couldn’t get them. That nearly six-to-one ratio is the highest it’s been in two decades, per the WSJ.

Why the downshift?

Early in the pandemic, the number of Americans doing part-time work “for economic reasons,” as the Labor Department classifies it, spiked as layoffs rocked the economy, peaking in April 2020. But after that, the vibe shifted: More people started choosing to work part-time “for noneconomic reasons,” such as caregiving and personal health.

And there may be more 9-to-5ers waiting for the chance to clear their G Cals. “A lot of people want to work part-time, but the options aren’t really there,” Ernie Park, who left his full-time tech job to take an hourly gig and start a family farm, told the WSJ. “For companies that get on this, they can scoop up some really great talent.”

There are several other reasons why more Americans are choosing to work part-time:

Work-life balance: Many people are looking for a better balance between their work and personal lives. Part-time work can provide them with more time for family, hobbies, and other activities.
Flexibility: Part-time work offers more flexibility in scheduling and allows individuals to adjust their work hours to fit their personal needs.
Career change: Some people choose to work part-time while they make a transition to a new career or field.
Retirement: Many older Americans are choosing to work part-time as they approach retirement age, allowing them to ease into retirement while still earning an income.
Health reasons: Some individuals may need to work part-time due to health issues or disabilities that make it difficult to work full-time.

Overall, working part-time can provide a range of benefits for individuals who value work-life balance, flexibility, or are seeking to transition to a new career or phase of life.

Check out the article here: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/stories/2023/02/27/more-americans-working-part-time