By Elliot Wright, 21st January 2010
The recession has caused a record number of Britons to work-part
time, with more than one million workers unable to find full-time
work left with no choice but to work shorter hours.
According to figures revealed yesterday by the Office of
National Statistics, 280,000 workers have been forced into a
part-time job in the past 12 months, taking the total to an
all-time high.
The increase in part-time workers has helped prevent a rise in
overall unemployment for the first time in 18 months; however there
has been a massive fall in the number of people in full-time
work.
The overall total of part-time workers has soared to 7.7m but
the number in full-time employment has plunged by nearly 600,000
over the past year.
Unemployment amongst 16 to 24-year-olds has also fallen, by
16,000 to 927,000, but this is partly due to more young people
going into further education to avoid the unpredictable job
market.
The overall fall in unemployment will be seen as a positive sign
that the UK has finally left the recession, but the Bank of England
has warned that job opportunities will remain somewhat remote for
the foreseeable future.
The overall total of part-time workers has
soared to 7.7m but the number in full-time employment has plunged
by nearly 600,000 over the past year.
A business conditions report by the Bank said: 'There were very
few plans [among firms] for any substantial recruitment of
permanent staff.' Even if companies are starting to do better, the
Bank said bosses were hiring temporary staff or 'reversing earlier
cuts to average hours', but rarely hiring any permanent staff.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Lord Oaekshott criticised
the Government for boasting about the fall in unemployment while
workers were being hit hard in the pockets by the recession.
He said: 'This is the hidden unemployment, from top City
solicitors to people working in factories. They are being forced to
go part-time and having their pay slashed.'
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