The vast majority of employees do not voluntarily choose a part-time job – a lack of preconditions and companies that mainly advertise part-time jobs play an important role. In some sectors, every third job in 2022 was only a part-time job.
“This means that by no means all employees in these sectors can work full-time. The share of part-time vacancies is above average, especially in sectors with a high proportion of female employees. Nearly eight in ten healthcare workers are women, and more than a third of job openings are only offered as part-time options,” calculated Jakob Sturn, an economist at the Momentum Institute.
He stressed: “If only a quarter of part-time workers voluntarily work part-time, then the problem is not with the incentives, but with the preconditions. Effective labor market policy must therefore start there.”
The disadvantages of part-time are great
Part-time workers would have a number of financial disadvantages anyway. “Pension entitlements, but also all means-tested social and insurance benefits, unemployment benefits, unemployment benefits and childcare allowances are significantly lower for part-time workers than for full-time workers,” notes Sturn.
And he pointed out that especially high earners could enforce their preferred working hours on employers. “They were also able to increase their part-time quota the most. Consequently, the largest increase in the part-time rate is recorded by workers in the wealthiest 20 percent. This income group already earns very well and financial incentives are unlikely to have an effect here. The financial disadvantages of part-time workers discussed by Secretary of Labor Martin Kocher cannot necessarily lead to an increase in working hours in this income segment,” said Sturn.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
