Working Parttime: Risks And Opportunities

The hiring of parttime and temporary workers has historically been a mechanism for adjusting imbalances between supply and demand in the labor market. The use of such workers has increased dramatically as technological changes have put a premium on flexibility, and as fringe benefits have come to constitute an increasing percentage of labor costs. Flexibility is sought not only by organizations, but also by individuals: students, women with children, disabled persons, and retirees all benefit by parttime opportunities. PartTime Work discusses these opportunities, and the risk involved in employment which is sometimes underpaid and devalued, and from which movement to fulltime positions is difficult.This volume represents the work of a crosssection of specialists in labor economics, industrial relations specialists, and social scientists who are engaged in research on the transformation of work in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. Chapters focus on the structural aspects of parttime work, conditions under which such work is performed, constraints imposed on employers by official agencies, and expectations and attitudes of parttime workers rooted in a particular society. PartTime Work will prove particularly useful to sociologists, labor specialists, and relevant government agencies, organizations, and unions.