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Part-time jobs increase a direct effect of the recession

Posted on December 19th, 2011 Read time: 1 minutes

Despite the recent decline in the nation's unemployment rate, many employers remain wary about the economic landscape and refuse to hire full-time, the News Journal reports.

As a result, the number of Americans taking on part-time jobs – either in conjunction with a full-time gig or other part-time or temporary work – has risen.

Specifically, the news source reports that about 5 percent of the nation's workforce held multiple jobs last month. In addition, the number of part-time jobs available since 2007 has risen by 2.3 million, while full-time positions fell by 9.8 million.

Furthermore, a recent Fidelity Investments survey revealed that 17 percent of parents planned to take on another job to help pay for their children's college education – up from 11 percent in 2007.

"Families are planning earlier and saving more efficiently, yet with college costs increasing 26 percent in a five-year period, saving for college will continue to be a challenge," said Joseph Ciccariello, vice president, Fidelity Investments College Planning.

As the holidays near, finding a job as a temporary worker or part-timer may be the only option to pay for the upcoming expenses. In some cases, these may turn into full-time positions.  

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