Part-time workers face huge financial penalties
Britain’s estimated 7.4 million part-time workers face lower pay and poorer career prospects than their full-time compatriots.
A new report from the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) concludes that half of all part-time workers are in a job that fails to capitalise on their qualifications, skills and previous experiences.
And working part-time can “scar” an individual’s employment prospects for life due to the “stigma” faced by those choosing to work part-time. It concludes that the longer a person is in part-time work the lower their wages will be – even if they return to full-time work.
A woman who has spent just one year working part-time can still expect to earn 10 per cent less after 15 years than those who worked full-time throughout the period.
Part-time workers are also 40 per cent less likely to receive in-work training than their full-time counterparts, with women part-time workers receiving an average of 40 per cent less an hour than male full-time workers.
The EOC argues that women – who make-up 78 per cent of Britain’s part-time workforce – are pushed into poorly-paying jobs because of a lack of flexibility in the career market, meaning they are unable to combine well-paid jobs with caring for children or elderly relatives.
It suggests the only solution is to increase flexibility at all levels of the economy and improve childcare.
Chair of the EOC, Julie Mellor, said: “Britain is facing a crisis if it does not address the need for flexible hours at work. Women are hardest hit by the part-time ‘penalty’, which channels them into low-paid jobs with poor prospects often because they take on more of the caring role at home.
“Many people choose to work part-time but they don’t choose low pay.
“What we need is to enable parents of older children and carers to ask their employer to work flexibly, and encourage employers to offer better paid jobs on a more flexible basis. Only that way can we keep essential skills in the economy whilst allowing people to do the vital role of caring for others.”
