The Importance of Flexibility
A clear pattern emerges when people are asked “How important is it that you have a flexible job?” The majority (35.57%) find it extremely important, and just around 5% feel that it’s somewhere between “not very important” and “not important at all.”
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Career Implications
|
In your opinion, what are the potential career implications associated with transitioning from full-time work to part-time work? |
|
|
Loss of money |
83.50% |
|
Lack of full-time employee benefits |
66.30% |
|
Increased risk of being “let go” |
38.83% |
|
Loss of status, credibility, or prestige |
25.89% |
|
“Daddy” or “mommy” tracked |
10.8% |
According to the survey, participants have a pretty clear understanding of the potential drawbacks to moving from a full-time position to a part-time position, including loss of money (83.50%), loss of benefits (66.30%) and the potential of being “let go” (38.83%). Interestingly, despite a keen awareness of the potential downsides of going part time, the majority of Americans would still do so in the interest of flexibility.
Who Participated
The majority of the survey participants were female (58.30%). When it comes to age, the participant pool was pretty evenly spread, with about one-quarter of respondents coming from each of the four age groups. The least-represented group was aged 60 and over with only 20.65%.
|
Age |
|
|
18–29 |
26.38% |
|
30–44 |
26.58% |
|
45–59 |
26.38% |
|
60+ |
20.65% |
As you can see, the participants come from a wide variety of industries. The top-represented industries were education at 16.11%, health at 15.02%, and service at 14.33%. The least-represented industries were recreation (1.68%), legal (2.67%) and media (2.47%).
|
What industry do you currently work in? |
|
|
Art |
2.17% |
|
Construction |
3.26% |
|
Corporate |
3.75% |
|
Education |
16.11% |
|
Finance |
4.94% |
|
Goods |
6.03% |
|
Government |
5.04% |
|
Health |
15.02% |
|
Legal |
2.67% |
|
Manufacturing |
4.64% |
|
Media |
2.47% |
|
Nonprofit |
6.62% |
|
Recreation |
1.68% |
|
Service |
14.33% |
|
Technology |
7.51% |
|
Transportation |
2.87% |
Full-Time or Part-Time
Finally, the survey had a nearly even split between part-time workers (50.59%) and full-time workers (49.41%).
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