Part-time workers share their pain in new Rutgers study

Using a random national sample of part-time workers across the country, new research from Rutgers University found many are struggling financially and want access to benefits that can make their lives easier now and down the road.

A Tale of Two Workforces: The Benefits and Burdens of Working Part Time, a product of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, reported that more than 60 percent of involuntary part-timers - those who can't find full-time employment - have dealt with financial hardships over the past two years. Forty percent borrowed money from friends or family, and 37 percent cut back on food.

Co-author Carl Van Horn noted the number of involuntary part-timers today, 6.5 million, is significantly higher than prior to the recession.

"What many economists believe is that this is an indicator of a weakness in the recovery," Van Horn said.

According to the report, about one-third of part-time workers hold multiple jobs. Voluntary part-timers work an average of 20 hours weekly, compared to the 25-hour average for involuntary part-timers.

An overwhelming majority of all part-time employees said the government should require companies to let them participate in company-sponsored retirement plans. Significant majorities also favored laws that require overtime pay for anyone who works more than 35 hours in a given week.

"Very few part-time workers get any benefits beyond their paycheck," Van Horn said.

Part-time work didn't get all bad marks in the report, though. More than 60 percent of respondents said a clear advantage is the ability to set one's own schedule.