Part-Time Work Still Up, but Health Law Isn’t the Cause
Part-time employment accounted for 19% of employment in September, up
from 17% prior to the recession. However, experts say the gain occurred during
the recession and cannot be blamed on the Affordable Care Act. The U.S.
Department of Labor reports a jump in full-time employment of 1.6 million
during the past year, compared with a decrease in part-time employment of close
to 300,000. The report counts those who work less than 35 hours per week as
part-time, whereas part-time is defined by the ACA as less than 30 hours, so
many of the workers in DOL’s report would be deemed full-time under the ACA and
subject to the employer mandate. (as reported in the WSJ by Casselman)
