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9 Facts About Part-Time Workers That Should Freak You Out

9 Facts About Part-Time Workers That Should Freak You Out
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By 

Associate Business Editor, The Huffington Post

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NEW YORK, NY - JULY 29: New York City Councilman Brad Lander speaks to employees at Wendy's fast-food restaurant during a demonstration outside of one of the restaurants to demand higher pay and the right to form a union on July 29, 2013 in New York City. Across the country thousands of low-wage workers are expected to walk off their jobs Monday at fast food establishments in seven U.S. cities. Workers at KFC, Wendy's, Burger King, McDonald's and other restaurants are calling for a living wage of $15 an hour and the right to form a union without retaliation. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Politicians like to talk about the middle-class jobs they can and will create, if only given the chance. But thus far this year, it appears few of them have been able to make good on those promises. Altogether, roughly three-fourth of the jobs created in 2013 have been part-time, according to the government's most recent jobs report.

That's a problem. Part-time jobs tend to provide fewer benefits, fewer protections and a greater chance of depression. But if you still aren't convinced you should be worried by the country's part-time recovery, here are some other reasons for concern:

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Before You Go

9 Scary Facts About Part-Time Workers
Less Than One-Quarter Of Part-Time Workers Have Health Benefits(01 of09)
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Just 24 percent of part-time workers have access to employer-sponsored health care, according to a July report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. (credit:AP)
Part-Time Workers Are Less Likely To Be Protected By Labor And Employment Laws(02 of09)
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Part-time workers often have little opportunity for advancement as highlighted by striking fast food workers during their walkouts earlier this summer. In addition, part-time workers are much less likely than their full-time counterparts to be protected by labor and employment laws, according to a March speech from Federal Reserve Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin. (credit:AP)
Less Than One-Quarter Of Part-Time Workers Have Paid Sick Days(03 of09)
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Just 24 percent of part-time workers have access to paid sick days, according to a July report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Without paid sick days workers are more likely to get the flu, research has shown. (credit:Shutterstock)
A Huge Share Of Recent College Graduates Are Working Part-Time(04 of09)
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Just half of those who graduated from college between 2006 and 2011 were working in full-time jobs as of May 2012, according to a survey from Rutgers University. In addition, 40 percent of recent college graduates said they were underemployed in an April Reuters poll. (credit:AP)
Part-Time Workers Are More Likely To Be Depressed(05 of09)
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About 8.5 percent of part-time workers say they're currently being treated for depression, according to a July Gallup poll, compared to 5.6 percent of full-time workers. (credit:Shutterstock)
Millions Of Part-Time Workers Want Full-Time Jobs(06 of09)
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As of January 2013, there were about 8.6 million involuntary part-time workers -- or employees working part-time because they had to, not because they wanted to. This figure is nearly double what it was in January 2006. (credit:AP)
The Boost In Part-Time Jobs Is Increasing The Gap Between High- And Low-Wage Workers(07 of09)
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The surge in part-time work during the Great Recession and the recovery is increasing the gap between high- and low-wage workers, according to a March speech from Federal Reserve Governor Sarah Bloom Raskin. Indeed, the richest 20 percent of working families took home 48 percent of the nation's income in 2011, according to the Working Poor Families Project. The bottom 20 percent of working families took home just 5 percent. (credit:Getty Images)
Part-Time Workers Have Become A Flashpoint For Controversy In The Obamacare Debate(08 of09)
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Millions of part-time workers are at the highest risk of having their hours cut under the President's Affordable Care Act as businesses look for ways to skirt the law and avoid offering workers coverage. But despite numerous threats to cut worker hours, most businesses haven't actually cut them in anticipation of the law. (credit:Getty Images)
The Economy Created Way More Part-Time Than Full-Time Jobs This Year(09 of09)
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In the first six months of 2013, employers added more than four times as many part-time jobs as full-time jobs, according to a July Wall Street Journal report. (credit:AP)
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