Part-time job opportunities are on the rise, offering more flexibility for workers, according to a June 20 report from Indeed Hiring Lab. Since 2022, the share of part-time job postings has increased, while full-time postings have remained stable.
This trend spans across various sectors, suggesting that many employers are replacing full-time positions with part-time roles. The specific reasons behind this shift are unclear, but it could be due to employers seeking to attract workers with more flexible options or a cooling labor market reducing the need for full-time roles. Daniel Culbertson, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab, notes that these trends may continue as the labor market rebalances.
Despite the growth in part-time roles, full-time work still dominates, making up about 62% of job postings as of May. Part-time postings accounted for nearly 32%, up 2.5 percentage points from May 2022, while about 13% of job openings offered both full-time and part-time options. The increase in part-time job postings began in early 2022 and has stayed around 10% above pre-2022 levels.
Certain sectors maintain a higher share of full-time roles, including traditional office and on-site jobs like insurance, legal, child care, accounting, and construction. Conversely, service-related jobs such as beauty and wellness, personal care and home health, retail, and food service have more part-time roles. Beauty and wellness, in particular, saw a significant rise in part-time options, jumping nearly 27 percentage points over the past two years. Marketing, hospitality and tourism, and media and communications also experienced notable increases in part-time roles, often at the expense of full-time positions.
In response to technological advancements and challenges, some sectors are hiring more part-time and contingent workers. A survey by the World Employment Confederation found that business leaders are concerned about keeping pace with AI and other developments, leading them to prefer a more flexible workforce. This includes contingent workers, sectoral talent pools, and increased internal flexibility.
With the rise of contract work, HR leaders might need to prioritize retention strategies for contract workers, particularly in IT positions. A report from Motion Recruitment indicates that trends around contingent work are likely to grow, with many enterprise employers planning to shift funds from full-time employees to contractors.
In conclusion, the increase in part-time job opportunities reflects changing labor market dynamics, driven by the need for flexibility and technological adaptation. As employers continue to navigate these trends, the focus may shift towards maintaining a balanced and adaptable workforce that meets both current and future demands.
