More laid-off professionals are taking part-time jobs to wait out a jobs market
that continues to sputter, USA Today reports.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of workers who have taken part-time
work because of economic conditions in the last three years, according to Department
of Labor figures. In September, 5 million workers took the part-time route because
of the economy.
Patti Wilson, a career coach in Los Gatos, Calif., says that while there are
more laid-off professionals taking part-time work to survive, there continues
to be a stigma.
"These are really smart," says Wilson. "They need a job to survive,
and it's a gut blow. It's very hard to come to terms with. 'What if friends
see me? What if clients find out?' "
The newspaper reports that laid-off professionals seek part-time work for a
variety of reasons. Some laid-off workers find part-time jobs out of necessity--to
pay mortgage payments and other expenses. Others say that it is easier to secure
full-time work if they are employed, even if it is part-time, according to the
newspaper.
The newspaper notes that an education has offered little protection in the
struggling economy, with layoffs affecting people from a variety of education
and work backgrounds.
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