Is Part-Time Work the Way of the Future?

In today's increasingly competitive job market, the attitudes of workers and job seekers are starting to change, with many American workers forgoing the traditional 40-hour work week in favor of part-time and short-term jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports nearly 6 million Americans are choosing part-time jobs, a number that has increased 12 percent since 2007.

Reasons for Working Part Time

One might think that the surge in part-time workers might be a result of a bad economy and people having to take what they can get. On the contrary: more than 20 million American workers choose to work less than 35 hours a week for non-economic reasons, says the BLS. These workers prefer working fewer hours to make room for family life, school or semi-retirement. Many of these part-time workers are college educated and young, and they are moving away from the traditional, long-term career model they saw their parents choose.

Customized Jobs

With so many workers choosing to work part time, companies must adapt to attract the best talent. "The workforce of the future is organized around the worker. If we can't find the right people, it's going to hurt our bottom line," says Chauncy Lennon, manager of JPMorgan's workforce initiatives. Savvy businesses are tailoring jobs to specific individuals and their needs by allowing for more time off, breaking large projects into smaller chunks and notifying worker pools of available assignments.

Less Commitment

Many part-time workers simply don't want to commit to any one particular job or employer. These workers may have witnessed their parents or older role models commit to one employer for years and years, only to be laid off during the recession. Another undesirable outcome is having to work a job you can't stand just to pay the bills. More and more workers are deciding that that kind of life is not for them. Part-time work allows workers more freedom in their career paths.

Services For Part-Timers

As the number of American part-time workers continues to rise, more services are catering to them. In 2014, the Freelancers Union added a host of benefits, including health insurance and retirement plans, for part-time workers, freelancers and other nontraditional employees. SnagAJob helps job seekers search for hourly part-time positions, and FlexJobs specializes in job listings for telecommuters. "The perfect job isn't one job at all," says SnagAJob's chief executive officer Peter Harrison. "It's a mix."

By the year 2020, up to 40 percent of the American workforce could be part-time workers, according to Deloitte's chief talent officer Mike Preston. While there are certain advantages to taking a part-time job, there are also many factors to consider before doing so, such as financial responsibilities, debt and family.

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