The number of Americans preferring full-time jobs but instead having to settle for part-time work surged to a multi-year high in July, underscoring growing signs of strain in the U.S. labor market as economic uncertainty mounts.
Data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Aug. 2 shows that the number of people employed part-time for economic reasons jumped by 346,000 last month, bringing the total to 4.6 million. That’s the highest number of Americans working part-time for economic reasons since October 2021 and above pre-pandemic levels.
