Introduction-
Full time working hours range from somewhere around 35-40 hours per week. Some people cannot devote time to full-time work. Their job is filled with mental breakdown and stress. Their work-life balance and family peace get totally shattered. Hence, they need other alternatives which also provide them with more control over their working schedule. Here, let’s know How many hours is a part-time job going to be?
Some people need to depend on outside help for childcare, which is an utterly costly affair. If they can get some relaxation from full-time working hours, then some additional time can be given to childcare, which saves a lot of money. School students who need time for their studies but, at the same time, some earning source to rely upon.
Concept of Part time job-
Here comes the concept of part time work. The number of working hours dedicated to part-time work is less than for full-time work. This also provides flexibility and freedom to choose your own working hours. A part-time job is a win-win situation for both employer and employee. Employers save a lot of resources by using part-time workers. The large number of benefits and other insurance is a big cost to bear for any company. And major benefits are only given to full-time workers.
Employees get more time to explore themselves, spend time with their family, and achieve work-life balance with peace of mind. The best thing about having a part-time job is that you can learn new skill sets along with your college and school. You can also work on other projects in your free time, which opens your mindset to new opportunities. You get the chance to explore other fields where you can find your hidden talent. Other than your main profession, you can also do part-time jobs in other fields to make more money.
But here is the dilemma about the part-time job. The number of working hours is different for both the employer and the employee. So, finding the perfect match is a mind-boggling task.
What is the exact number of hours an individual works in a part-time job?
There is no fixed definition of it, but it ranges somewhere from 5 to 35 hours per week. There is no fixed law that defines the scope of a part-time job, even though there is no fixed law that defines the scope of a full-time job. The FLSA (Federal Labor Standards Act) addresses important issues such as minimum wage, overtime pay, and the prohibition of child labor, but it does not address the definition of a part-time job. This matter is left completely up to the employee to decide.
Other organizations, like the Bureau of Statistics, consider part-time jobs to be less than 35 hours per week. The IRS claims it to be less than 30 hours per week.
When you are seeking a part-time job, just make sure that the company is abiding by the Affordable Care Act. Check the employee strength of the company. Also, compare the number of hours dedicated to full-time workers and compare it with part-time working hours.
What are the maximum and minimum hours of a part-time job?
In most places, you will find an average of 20 hours per week as the minimum value. But the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release says that any individual working from 1 hour to 30 hours per week is considered a part-time job worker.
The FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) has not fixed any criteria for deciding the maximum working hours in part-time jobs.
Part time job hours in California-
California law claims that any job where work hours are less than 40 per week is considered a part-time job. In some of the places in the state, part-time jobs are less than 32 hours per week.
It is to be noted that California has a paid leave benefit system that applies to all the workers employed in a company. It is one of the few states in the USA that gives such benefits to part-time workers also.
Types of part-time work-
Let us discuss the type of part time jobs:
- Permanent- With a regular schedule and responsibilities, they are often paid on an hourly basis. Generally, restaurants and retail stores give employment as a permanent part-time job.
- Contract-The time period of employment is fixed with an hourly wage. Since they are not permanent employees, they are not eligible for benefits like insurance and paid leave. They have to pay taxes and social securities on their own.
- Freelancers– They are self-employed people who work with the company on a contract basis. They are only hired for specific projects. There are various freelancing sites like up work, fiverr etc. They may be paid hourly or fixed wages.
- Temporary-Temporary employees work full time or part time for the shortest duration of time. They can be removed from the company at any time according to the needs of the project. The shortest period for temporary employees is sometimes as short as one day.
What are the Part time job hours for minors-?
There are certain restrictions on the employment of minor workers. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the minimum age to get employment in non-agricultural jobs is 14.
Minor workers, aged between 14 and 18, are not eligible for employment in any of the hazardous industries. A few examples of hazardous industries are mining, explosives, handling of power-driven machines, etc. Even if they are employed in hazardous industries, they are only allowed to do safe tasks.
There are certain conditions on the number of hours teenagers can work as part-timers.
Teenagers in the age group (14-15) are only allowed to do work after school hours, not during school. At maximum, they can work for 3 hours on a school day. In a school week, the limit of working hours is 18 per week. For a non-school day, the length of the line is 8 hours a day and 40 hours per non-school week.
But here is an exception. If children are working for any career program that is sponsored by the state, then they can work for extra hours. Sometimes there is a work-study program that is sponsored by the Labor department where teenagers are allowed to work extra.
Time limits: There are certain time limits for the working hours of teenagers as well. The working hours allowed to them are between 7 am and 7 pm, except on the occasion of Labour Day. On June 1st, they are allowed to work till 9pm on the occasion of Labor Day.
For the age group of 16-17, there are no such limits, but remember, they are not allowed to work in any of the hazardous industries.
Top part time job with decent pay-
Now let us dive deeper into the few part time jobs that pay well-
- Representative of customer service
Average hourly wage: $13.48
Job role- The main duty of a customer service representative is to handle complaints and manage feedback for the company. He or she represents the company and speaks with customers on behalf of the company, providing appropriate feedback to the appropriate team. They send emails, chat on websites, and call on the phone.
Eligibility- Most of the jobs are eligible for you if you have a diploma degree or any other degree equivalent to it.
- Teller in a bank
The average hourly wage: $12.82.
Job role- They guide customers to the appropriate service counters. They handle the transactions, deposits, and withdrawals from the bank.
Eligibility- If you have basic knowledge of mathematics, then you are eligible by completing training in the bank.
- Warehouse employee
The average hourly wage: $15.42.
Job role- They are specialized in managing the inventory in the warehouse. Using data entry machines and software, you can keep track of your shipment portfolio and stock availability.
Eligibility- To perform this job, you need a high school diploma or equivalent degree.
- Personal chauffeur
Average hourly wage: $14.55
Job role- Picking up and dropping off at a specified location is the main duty of a personal driver. Here, the driver needs to take care of passengers’ experience. So safety, punctuality, and cleaning of vehicles are necessary tasks.
Eligibility- If you have a driving license with no defaults in your history, then you are easily eligible for this job.
- Phlebotomist
Average hourly wage: $14.85
Job role- A phlebotomist is someone who collects blood, urine, and other samples for testing in a laboratory. The placement of correct patient details on every sample is the main duty of the phlebotomist.
Eligibility-You need valid certification of phlebotomy to perform this work,
- Delivery man or woman
The average hourly wage: $15.68
Job role- Delivery drivers need to manage the safe and timely delivery of ordered items to the required destination.
Eligibility-You needs a valid license along with clean records throughout history. Sometimes you have to give a driving exam to get this job.
7. Nanny
Average hourly wage: $15.29
Job role- Providing childcare like bathing, feeding, napping etc. They help children with school assignments, extra-curricular work, and playtime.
Eligibility- They should have some certification courses or experience in child care.
8. Mail carrier
Average hourly wage: $16.70
Job role- Delivering incoming and outgoing mail on time is the main duty. They have to ensure the seal and signatures on the delivery mail are correct and also manage the failed deliveries.
Eligibility- To perform this work, you need a high school diploma, or equivalent, and also the threshold marks in the entrance exam.
9. The Bookkeeper
Average hourly wage: $17.24
Job role- Bookkeepers’ main responsibility is to manage ledgers, bank deposits, and report the financial results.
Eligibility-You is eligible for this job if you have a bachelor’s degree in accounting or related disciplines.
There are many more jobs other than those mentioned above. Some of them are real estate agents, content writers, graphics designers, private tutors, make-up artists, editors, programmers, accountants, etc.
Transformation from full time to part-time in the USA-
Because of the Affordable Care Act, health insurance and benefits were only given to full-time employees. This is now only applicable to businesses with 50 or more employees. So many small and large-scale companies were clever in cutting off their staff. Also, they disallow part-time workers to work more than 29 hours. Otherwise, they have to pay health insurance for these part-time employees too, for working more than 29 hours a week.
Fraud and scams have now begun in the United States, thanks to the efforts of a few companies. They hire a large number of full-time workers but don’t allow them to work for full-time hours. That means less than 29 hours a week. They started exploiting their workers with sudden layoffs, minimal wages, extra shifts, and other wrong labor practices. So, in this way the number of working hours changed.
Part-time vs. full-time: What should you choose?
Here we have seen that part-time jobs are far better in terms of flexibility. You have the choice of working during the day, in the afternoon or at night. In general, students choose part-time work. This gives them more time to focus on their studies and explore other areas of interest. Full-time jobs generally have timings of 9am to 5pm.
Remember that part-time workers are paid for the number of hours they work. So both employers and employees need to monitor their attendance. Part-time workers are not eligible for a flat salary. This, however, depends upon the employer’s desire to provide a fixed amount to part-time employees.
But in terms of career growth, full-time workers are on the edge. They have more chances of getting promoted to managerial positions with great hikes in pay. Part-time jobs provide almost no benefits when compared to full-time jobs. Holidays, vacations, various insurance, paid sick leave, etc. are the perks that part-timers do not receive.
If you are looking for job security, then full-time is far better than part-time. Organizations always train and upgrade their full-time employees because they are the larger cost to the company than the part-time workers. So organizations try to maximize the development of full time workers rather than part time workers.
Conclusion-
Remember, the scope of a career at full time is more than part-time. If your main aim is career growth, then avoid part-time work. On the other hand, if you want a side income and need more time to explore yourself, then just go for part-time work.
Educational requirements in part-time jobs are generally lower than in full-time jobs. You will hardly find part-time job vacancies in top-level managerial roles. Most of the time, you will find college students and teenagers employed in part-time jobs. Just go into a full-time job and attain perfection and stability in your career. Once you’ve established yourself in your full-time job, you can look for part-time work in other fields. Part time job is a very good option for extra income other than the main source of income from a full-time job.
To get enrolled for part-time work, one simply needs an agreement with an employer on a contract basis.
FAQ (Frequently asked Questions) related to part time jobs-
- Differentiate between a full-time job and a part-time job.
It is solely up to the employer to decide what part-time and full-time work is. But remember that the working hours for part-time workers are less than full-time working hours. Other than that, the benefits of part-time employees are also limited. For example, part-time job workers don’t receive the benefits of health coverage, paid sick leave, etc.
- What is the number of hours for the part time job role?
Most employees in the USA consider work hours that range between 32 and 40 hours a week to be part-time work. But under the rules and regulations of the Affordable Care Act, 32 hours of work per week is considered part-time work.
- What are the job roles best suited for part-time workers?
Some of the best part-time jobs are in retail, fast food outlets, and hospitality. Many students in America perform these jobs along with their main studies.
- How many sick leaves does a part-time employee receive?
There are some states where there are paid sick laws in America, like Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Washington, etc. But in the states where federal law does not exist, the sick leaves are somewhere between 5 and 14 days.
- Is there a policy in place for part-time employees who work more than 40 hours per week?
All such rules and regulations come under the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act). They have certain employment standards related to minimum wages and overtime pay.
- Are part-time workers paid for overtime?
Yes, definitely, as stated by the rules and regulation portfolio of the FLSA. Sometimes business is seasonal and workers need to work more than the usual time. So pay should also be hiked.
- Are part-time workers eligible for vacations?
It is not a compulsion for any employer to give vacations to their part-time employees. Generally, as a benefit, employers give part-time workers some days off on a pro-rata basis.
- What are the penalties that can be imposed on part-time workers?
Part-time workers earn 29.3 percent less than full-time workers for the same number of hours and qualifications. The penalties for people of different races are also different in America.
