January 29, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Part-time for economic reasons

The annual average number of persons at work fewer than 35 hours for economic reasons rose by 458,000 in 2002. In the average month, there were 4.1 million persons at work part time for reasons such as slack work, poor business conditions, or only being able to find a part-time job.

[Chart data—TXT]

Almost all of the increase occurred among workers who reported that they were working fewer than 35 hours per week due to slack work or business conditions. There was an average of 2.7 million workers in this category in 2002, compared with 2.4 million in 2001. 

The average number of persons at work for 1 to 34 hours for noneconomic reasons such as school attendance or family and personal obligations was 26.7 million in 2002, compared with 27.5 million in 2001.

These data are products of the Current Population Survey. More information on persons working 1 to 34 hours per week appears in tables 19 through 23 in the annual averages section of the January 2003 issue of Employment and Earnings.

Related Articles:

• Earnings of part-timers