Millions of part-timers struggling to find full-time work, Rutgers study finds

A Rutgers University study finds some significant differences among part-time workers.

Nearly 20 million Americans who prefer to work part time are happy with that arrangement, said Carl Van Horn, director of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers.

“They’re going to school or taking care of children. Even though they don’t get benefits, they like the fact that they can balance their work and family and leisure time,” he said. “They would like to participate in retirement benefits, but their dissatisfaction is not great.”

But the more than 6 million part-timers who want full-time work and can’t find it are struggling.

“They’re not earning enough money to make ends meet. Many of them have to borrow money from friends and family or max out on their credit cards,” he said. “They may have other financial crises that they experience and they’re having a much tougher time.”

Van Horn says that group has grown by about two million people since the Great Recession began in December of 2007.

“This may indicate that even though the economy overall is better and unemployment is down, that we’re going to have a number of people who are struggling economically because they can’t earn enough money to support themselves and their family,” he said.