With employment figures showing no real signs of changing, today has seen an announcement suggesting that even for many who have jobs the situation is far from ideal and they are not working as many hours as they would like. The number of people in this situation has increased massively since the start of the Global Financial Crisis, and figures now sit at 3 million.
The majority of these people are those who are in part-time work who have either had to take these roles in the absences of anything else or those who were once within a full time role which has now been cut back to part time. The other dilemma that has arisen is where there are employees who have been taken on for a part time role which really requires more hours and employers have alluded to the fact that the role could become full times. New employees then work hard in the hope that their efforts will pay off, working full time hours with part time pay only to find that nothing changes in their situation.It is important however to not forget the positives that can come from this type of working. The Department of Work & Pensions claims that & of all part time workers are happy with their part time status, and it is true that this way to working suites millions of workers. It gives many the opportunity to gain additional skills and can be a good step from benefits to full time work, least not forgotten the many millions of people with child care responsibilities that working part time can really help. Some small businesses have said that having working Mum able to work around the schooling times has meant that there is less need for out-sourcing so ultimately more jobs have been created.The contents of this article are intended for general information purposes only and shall not be deemed to be, or constitute legal advice. We cannot accept responsibility for any loss as a result of acts or omissions taken in respect of this article.Setfords Solicitors are a national full service law firm, with employment Solicitors in Colchester and across the country.