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Part-Time Nation

August 05, 2013


The headlines citing last week’s jobs report as the lowest unemployment rate in years may have been technically accurate, but they are also reminders that looks can be deceiving.  The reality, as you dig into the latest jobs data, reveals that few are finding the full-time work they want and need, and many are forced to accept part-time employment. As the chart below depicts, seven out of eight new employees under President Obama have been part-time employees.  Those same employees note that it is pretty hard to support a middle class family when you are stuck in a part-time nation.

   January 2009  July 2013  Change
 Part-Time Employment  26.351 million  28.233 million  +1,882,000 (+7.14%)
 Full-Time Employment  115.820 million  116.090 million  +270,000 (+0.23%)

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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