5 Good Reasons to Want a Part-Time Job

One Canadian in five (19%) works part time, according to data recorded in 2017 by Statistics Canada. While some choose these part-time jobs that require less than 30 hours of work per week while waiting to find another full-time job, many hold them by choice. Although these jobs bring in less money, they nevertheless still have benefits.

Studying

Having a part-time job allows you to continue your studies. This is why 29% of Canadian part-time workers chose to limit their working hours in 2017, according to Statistics Canada. In a study published in August 2019 on the study-work balance, the Montreal Chamber of Commerce and the Réussite Montreal organization recommended that companies adapt working conditions for students.

Caring for children

A part-time job gives parents more flexibility to juggle daycare, school and various classes for their children. Nearly 27% of Canadians refuse the rigid routine of subway-job-home. However, they have to ensure that this part-time job does not become a full-time job, according to Carleton University professor Linda Duxbury, who has been interested in part-time working mothers. In an interview with the Harvard Business Review in November 2019, she noted that her research shows that “[mothers] who are supposed to work 20 hours often work 30, but they are paid for 20 hours.”

Experiment

A part-time job lets you try out a new workplace. Over the course of their careers, 60% of workers will reorient themselves and change industries completely, according to a 2019 survey by AXTRA, the Alliance of Employment Consulting Centres. Also, a worker who is eligible for EI can work part-time and receive benefits, allowing them to experiment again while waiting to find a full-time position.

Having fun

To make ends meet or even for fun, retirees find half-time jobs. Nearly 13% of Canadians aged 65 and over were working in 2018, according to Statistics Canada data. The Government of Canada encourages them to stay in the job market. In 2019, it revised the exemptions to which beneficiaries of the Guaranteed Income Supplement are entitled. They can now earn up to $15,000 in employment income, without their benefits being reduced.

Proving yourself

Getting a part-time job allows a worker to start making his place in a company he dreams of working for. “Employers often offer new full-time positions to their temporary or part-time employees,” reports human resources consulting firm Robert Half in an analysis published in May 2017. “The company already understands the work ethic of these employees, how they perform their daily tasks and how they fit into the organizational culture.”

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