Oregon’s Part-Time Workers: Nearly One-Quarter of Employment in 2014

In 2014, nearly one-quarter of employed Oregonians usually worked part-time schedules. A part-time worker is a person who usually works fewer than 35 hours per week. About 77 percent of Oregon’s total employment was usually working full time in 2014.

People work part time for a variety of reasons. Part-time jobs offer flexibility for some who seek a job that fits their circumstances, such as students, those looking for additional income from seasonal work, or a spouse in a household with young children. Such groups are generally considered the “voluntary part-time employed.” By contrast, the “involuntary part-time employed.” are people working part-time schedules because they can’t find full-time employment or have had their hours cut at work from a usual full-time schedule down to a part-time schedule.