Growth in Part-Time Job Opportunities is Outpacing Full-Time Roles in U.S.

Since 2022, employers across the U.S. have increasingly embraced part-time workers, likely in response to changing workforce expectations and volatility in the post-pandemic economy.  

Indeed’s Hiring Lab published data which shows that in the past two years part-time job postings have surged across different sectors in the workforce, but growth among full-time opportunities has remained flat. 

The report shows that part-time job postings have climbed 2.5 percentage points from May 2022 to May 2024 to reach 31.7%.  

Indeed’s data shows the rise in part-time opportunities is particularly evident in the following sectors: 

• Beauty & Wellness – 67.2% 
• Personal Care & Home Health – 54.2% 
• Retail – 47.5% 
• Food Preparation & Service – 46.7% 
• Sports – 46.2% 

Beauty & Wellness experienced the largest increase over the past two years, with a dramatic 26.8 percentage point increase in part-time job opportunities. This is followed by other substantial increase in the following sectors: 

• Marketing – 10.2%  
• Hospitality & Tourism – 9.9%  
• Media & Communications – 8.9%  
• Arts & Entertainment – 7.9%  

Industries with the largest declines were: 

• Veterinary – -3.1% 
• Sports – -3.1% 
• Childcare – -2.7% 
• Dental – -1.5% 

• Medical Technician – -0.9% 

While part-time employment opportunities increased, full-time employment continues to dominate total job postings. Indeed’s Hiring Lab reports full-time positions account for 62.3% as of May 2024.  

The data also shows full-time job postings remain high at traditional office jobs, including Insurance (80.3% full-time), Legal (74.3% full-time), Childcare (73.4%), Accounting (73.2%), and Construction (73.2%).  

The motivations behind these trends are more complex than they seem. It’s reported that employers might be seeking to offer more flexible options to attract talent and meet changing worker demands. However, a cooling labor market might also lead employers to require fewer full-time roles.