A record number of Americans are choosing to work part time, including stay-at-home mothers, teens, retirees seeking extra cash to cope with inflation and employees who burned out on their full-time jobs while covering for missing colleagues during COVID-19.

After the pandemic, “people did some sort of reconsideration,” says Lonnie Golden, a professor of economics and labor and Penn State University who studies work schedules and workplace flexibility. “They just don’t want to overwork.”

In December, 22 million Americans chose to work part time, an all-time high, Labor Department figures show. That’s 13.9% of all workers, the largest share since February 2020 and among the highest over the past two decades. Though many are working for companies, others are working as gig or contract workers or have their own businesses.

4.2 million people worked part-time because their employers cut their hours or they could find only part-time work. The figure is up from late 2022 but still historically low.

It’s noteworthy, though, that so many people are still opting for part-time work and employers are complying. In the past few years, many businesses struggled to find workers amid COVID-19-induced labor shortages, and they had little choice but to accommodate staffers who wanted to work remotely or part time or have flexible schedules.

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Source: USA Today