Share |



Part-timers on the increase and on the move

Part-timers on the increase and on the move

The recession has forced record numbers of workers into part-time jobs according to the Office for National Statistics.

There are now 7.8 million part-time workers in the UK - the largest figure since records began 25 years ago. Over the last twelve months 468,000 less workers are employed in full-time work but 255,000 have become part-time. The situation is expected to deteriorate considerably as public sector job losses increase.

The Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, has revealed that he is planning to ‘relocate' the unemployed to parts of the country where there is work. His plans echo Norman Tebbit's call for the jobless to ‘get on their bikes' to find work in the 1980s. "We can report an explosion of part-time workers who are prepared to travel," said Mark Nicholson, head of UK operations of gold party organisers Ounces2Pounds.

"It is worth our while to pay travel expenses for skilled, part-time gold traders," said Mr Nicholson. "In some instances we are paying for representatives to travel up to 500 miles a week." Ounces2Pounds introduced the American phenomenon of gold parties to Britain over a year ago and Mark Nicholson is convinced that they have only scratched the surface of the UK market. "The deeper the recession bites and the higher the spot price of gold rises the more popular our parties become," he said.

5 July 2010

Human Resources news brought to you by theHRDIRECTOR ; the only independent strategic HR publication.

Created on: 05-Jul-10 10:33

© theHRDirector.com


Share |
blog comments powered by Disqus