How many hours is working part time

If you are wondering how many hours constitute part-time employment, you need to read through this piece to understand everything about part-time jobs, pros and cons, and the common types of part-time schedules, among other things surrounding this subject.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States, any job that you can do for less than 35 hours a week is considered part-time. However, the labor laws give employers the authority to classify their workers, and therefore, part-time job hours may differ from one company to another.

At least you have a clue on how many hours constitute a part-time job. This, however, is not fixed since no provision stipulates the number of hours that should be regarded as part-time, but the information here is based on the statistics from different employers.

Therefore, different statistics institutions might have a varying number of hours regarded as part-time, and you need to go through this article to understand everything about working part-time.

Everything You Need To Know About How Many Hours Is Part-Time

In this article, you will learn everything that you need to know about working part-time, the benefits, pros and cons, and even some of the best part-time jobs that pay well. There is so much to uncover on this topic, and at some point, we may compare it with full-time hours and other related aspects of working on a part-time basis.

A part-time job is one that you can do in fewer hours per week compared to a full-time job. The employer makes this arrangement, and it is the work of the employer to classify workers based on their working hours.

This explains why there is no fixed number of hours for part-time workers in different companies. While others categorize workers who work less than 30 hours a week as part-time workers, some categorize those that work less than 35 hours and some 32 hours as part-time workers.

It is also important to understand that the department of labor doesn’t have the legal provision or definition of part-time and full-time employment since it is the responsibility of the employers to do so.

How Many Hours Is Part-time?

As noted, any job you can do for less than 35 hours in a week is considered a part-time job. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, it does not define precisely what a part-time job means in terms of the number of hours since every employer has different classifications of employers based on what they do and the number of hours they work.

That shows the disparity in the employment sector regarding the number of hours that are regarded as part-time by different employers. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that most companies consider people working for 30 to 40 hours a week as full-time and those working for less than 30 hours a week as part-time.

According to the Affordable Care Act, the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) considers people working over 30 hours a week and over 130 hours a month as full-time workers.

Pros And Cons Of Part-Time Hours

Several benefits come along with working part-time as compared to working full-time. Of course, these benefits affect both employers and employees. However, there are also disadvantages of part-time jobs for both employees and employers.

Pros Of Working Part-Time Hours

Part-time workers are those employees that have fewer working hours than full-time employees. This comes with benefits that include the following:

Better Work-Life Balance

Employees working part-time will have more time to attend to other life experiences outside the work environment, such as tending to their families and engaging in other activities. This offers them a better work-life balance, and that can also work to foster their productivity in the place of work.

Experience

Part-time workers typically have an easy way to gain experience in any field they want without committing fully to the employer under full-time commitment.

Flexibility

There is a sense of flexibility for both the employees and the employers in a part-time arrangement. For example, the employees working fewer hours may work on a flexible schedule per the company’s needs or may have shorter shifts for the day and the night.

Cost-Effectiveness

A part-time arrangement may work better for the company or employer since it helps cut many costs that come with full-time positions. However, a full-time employee comes with obligations to the employer. For example, the employer must offer full-time benefits such as salary, retirement programs, sick leave, and other benefits such as health insurance coverage, among other obligations set by the labor laws, which do not apply to part-time workers.

Cons Of Working Part-time Hours

When it comes to disadvantages, working part-time comes with some negatives for the employee. But, of course, an employer who hires on a part-time basis also encounters some disadvantages instead of full-time. Some of the cons of working part-time hours, therefore, include the following:

Workload Stress

Some employers want the employees to work for fewer hours per week on a part-time basis but expect them to handle the same amount of work as full-time employees. Therefore, the part-time employee work becomes just the same as that of the full-time worker, whereas the part-time worker does not profit from the full-time employee benefits.

Limited Benefits

Part-time workers may not be entitled to the benefits that full-time employees enjoy. These benefits include sick leave days, access to health insurance, and other benefits.

Poor Work Relationships

In a part-time work arrangement, part-time employees may not have enough face time with full-time employees, which may even make the full-time employees uncomfortable with them. Due to this, part-time employees may feel some inferiority complex when around the full-time employees, making it difficult for them to work as a team.

Part-Time Schedule Stress

Some part-time workers work as per the employer’s arrangement and are sometimes on call. However, this arrangement may not be a fixed arrangement, and the schedule may vary from the day. When this happens, part-time workers may have a challenging outside work life, such as making other living arrangements or traveling.

What Is The Difference Between A Full-Time Job And A Part-time Job?

The difference between a full-time and a part-time job is the number of hours worked weekly. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a part-time job is one that you can do for less than 30 hours in a week, while a full-time job is one that you can do for more than 30 hours, that is, between 30 and 40 hours per week.

Do Part-time Employees Get Benefits?

Part-time employees may get some company benefits, but most of the benefits such as the healthcare coverage, retirement benefits, and other types of employee insurance only benefit the full-time employees in most companies.

Common Types Of Part-time Work Schedules

Part-time work schedules vary from one employer to another. Some have flexible schedules, while others have fixed schedules throughout the week, and some have only ‘on call’ schedules. To mention some of the common types of part-time schedules include the following:

•     Fixed schedule
•     Rotating shifts
•     Alternate schedule
•     On-call schedule
•     Irregular shift
•     Split shift schedule

What Jobs Are Best For Part-time?

There are so many well-paying part-time jobs that you can do. These jobs may not have many requirements like a university degree. However, with a college diploma or high school certificate, you can secure these jobs that you can do part-time. These jobs include but are not limited to:

Security Officer

Being a security officer is a job that pays well, and you can do it part-time. The role of a security officer, of course, is to guard a business premise, home, or any other place as assigned from unauthorized access. According to statistics from different career companies, this job earns a decent wage of about $15 per hour.

Customer Service Representative

To be a customer service representative, you need to have some people skills and primary education. It may not require a degree, but you are good to go with a high school diploma. It is a job that also earns about $15 per hour. Therefore, your earnings will depend on the number of hours per week you have worked.

Delivery Driver

This is another fantastic part-time job that you can do with few requirements. You only have to have a valid driver’s license and perhaps a high school diploma. This job pays well, and you can make about $18 per hour.

Tutor

There are so many institutions that are looking for part-time tutors. This is where you instruct an individual or a small group of students about subject areas you are strong in. For example, if you are an accountant or an auditor, you can tutor students on accounting and auditing topics. According to most job boards ‘ statistics, this can earn an excellent hourly wage of about $25 per hour.

Of course, there are so many other lucrative part-time jobs that you can do. These include being a real estate agent, freelancer, occupational therapist, personal shopper, pet walker, and many other related jobs.

When Does A Part-time Worker Become Full-time?

A part-time employee who has consistently rendered the services as a part-time employee but on a full-time basis is eligible to be considered a full-time employee by the company. In addition, there are federal and employment laws that define and protect part-time workers from exploitation by companies.

When that is the case, an employee can seek advice from an employment lawyer to help where the company is reluctant to re-evaluate and classify them as full-time workers who work for additional hours than those required for part-time workers.

Therefore, a part-time employee who has worked consistently for full-time hours is eligible to become a full-time employee when the company re-evaluates the workers’ classifications.

Are Part-time Workers Entitled To Vacation?

Some employers give their employees time off from work or offer vacation time, whether they are working part-time or full-time. In Ontario, for instance, all employees, regardless of their classification or employment status, are entitled to at least two weeks’ vacation.

However, there are no federal laws in most states that oblige employers to provide vacation time for their employees.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Here are some questions that many people ask about part-time and full-time jobs:

Final Thoughts

As we have seen, there is no fixed number of hours that can be regarded as part-time. Some employers consider less than 35 hours as part-time, while others view 30 or 32 hours as their maximum part-time hours. The minimum part-time hours also depend on the employer.